- Nashville Grizzlies RFC
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Nashville Grizzlies RFC 
Name Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club Mascot Grizzly bear Colors Navy blue, maroon, & gold Founded 2006 Motto Tecum Fratre Sport Rugby Union Football Union MidSouth Rugby Football Union Website www.GrizzliesRugby.org Nashville Grizzlies RFC (Rugby Football Club) is a men's rugby union football club in Nashville, Tennessee. The club was formed in 2006 to bring the sport to typically under-represented populations (specifically gay men) although it welcomes anyone interested in the sport. The club is made up of approximately 90 members (as of March, 2011) consisting of both active players, as well as non-playing Auxiliary members.
Contents
Competitions
Local
The club competes locally within Division III of the MidSouth Rugby Football Union, a local area union within the USA Rugby South territorial union, itself part of USA Rugby.
National/International
The club is also a member club of the International Gay Rugby Association & Board (IGRAB), an umbrella organization for gay rugby clubs worldwide. As an IGRAB member, the club plays against other member clubs across the United States and internationally in one-on-one matches and in formal and informal tournaments.
In October of 2010, the club played in the Hellfest tournament, hosted by the Dallas Diablos RFC. The team placed fourth out of a field of eight teams. May 2011 saw the Grizzlies competing in the Chicago Dragons Midwest Invitational tournament, placing fourth of seven teams.
The team has twice competed in IGRAB's Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament (aka, the Bingham Cup), the gay rugby union world cup. Club members playing as part of the World Barbarians side won the Plate Division at the 2008 tournament in Dublin, Ireland[1]. The club plans to compete in the 2012 Bingham Cup to be held in Manchester, England.
Social & Community Activities
Like most rugby clubs, the Nashville Grizzlies conduct and participate in a number of activities off the pitch. After each home match, the club holds a Third Half social which is open to the public and the opposing side. Club nights are held each month at one of several local bars as both social/recruiting functions and fundraisers.
The club also holds an annual fun run and pub crawl (the Grizzlies Red Dress Rampage[2][3]) which is a joint fundraiser for the team and for Nashville's Belcourt Theatre. The team also works with the Nashville chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and each year sponsors a roller disco party in support of Nashville Pride.
References
- ^ 2008 Bingham Cup, standings
- ^ Grizzlies Red Dress Rampage presented by Yazoo, official event website
- ^ Seeing Red, Out & About Newspaper
External links
- Nashville Grizzlies RFC official website
- International Gay Rugby Association & Board official website
Categories:- International Gay Rugby Association and Board member clubs
- American rugby union teams
- Rugby union teams in Tennessee
- Sports teams in Tennessee
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