San Francisco Fog

"For the indoor soccer team see: San Francisco Fog (MISL)."

The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. is the first rugby union club in the Western United States established to invite members from traditionally under-represented groups to engage in the world's third most popular team sport. Mark Bingham, a hero of the Flight 93 incident, played for the Fog before his death. The Fog founded the Bingham Cup rugby tournament in 2002 and were victors of the first two competitions (2002 and 2004).

Mission

The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. is committed to an ethic of inclusion. A vision of the club is to be the preeminent rugby club in the world that actively pursues the participation of people of color, gay men, women, and other groups traditionally under-represented in rugby. Over one hundred members strong, Fog Rugby welcomes newcomers, as well as experienced players, coaches and supporters of all ages, races and sexual orientations.

Competitions

The Fog compete seasonally in Division III of the Northern California Rugby Football Union (NCRFU), a division of USA Rugby. They also compete in the International Gay Rugby Association & Board (IGRAB) season. Within IGRAB the Fog contest every two years for the Bingham Cup.

Other tournaments in which the Fog participate include Scrum by the Sea, Seattle Magnitude XVs, and the Wild West Rugby Fest.

The Coat of Arms

The coat of arms is a link to and reminder of the culture in which the game originated. After a trip to London and Manchester in January 2001 the Fog developed a coat of arms of its own. The symbol appeared first on game jerseys. In the language of heraldry, the Fog coat of arms is blazoned "barry nebuly of six argent and azure, on a bend sable three mullets of the first"; or, in plain English, three silver stars within a black diagonal stripe on a wavy blue-and-silver background.

The elements of the Fog coat of arms represent various aspects of the club. The patterned background is called barry nebuly, and is often taken to represent clouds, water, or air, suitable for a team named after San Francisco's most famous meterological phenomenon. The stars (or "mullets") stand for the club's three constituencies: the players, the staff, and the supporters.

Rugby 101

The Fog are well known in the San Francisco rugby community for sponsoring beginner's clinics ("Rugby 101") where new players who have never tried rugby before can come for free and give the game a go. The club also publishes a guide to fundamentals and another on how to buy a kit for a new player.

The San Francisco Fog also promote the culture of rugby by making available many traditional rugby songs and the socials form an important part of the atmosphere of the club.

External links

* [http://www.sffog.org www.sffog.org]
* [http://www.sffog.org/membership Join the Fog]