Bristol Bisons RFC
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (September 2021) |
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| Union | Gloucestershire RFU |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bisons |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Location | Cribbs Causeway, South Gloucestershire, England |
| Ground(s) | Clifton RFC |
| Chairman | Jamie White |
| Coach(es) | Sasha Acheson |
| Captain(s) | Daryn McCombe |
| League(s) | UKIGRC |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Bristol Bisons RFC is an inclusive English rugby union club based in Bristol. Founded in 2005 as the south west’s first inclusive rugby team, the Bisons have welcomed players (and supporters) of all abilities, backgrounds and sexualities from Bristol, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas since that time.
Club history
The Bristol Bisons RFC (Bisons) were established in 2005,[1] following a visit to the Bingham Cup gay rugby tournament in the summer of 2004 in London.[2] The founders felt that it would be good to spread the messages of an inclusive rugby team in the south west.
Training for the newly formed club started early in 2005. One of the first matches was the Bisons versus a Barbarians side of players from Manchester and Bristol. By 2009 the club had gone through a quiet spell so it was decided to relaunch the club with new kit and promotional material in December 2009.
As part of Bristol Pride 2010 the club promoted itself more visibly particularly on the Bristol gay scene. During season 2010–2011 the team grew in strength and numbers and now has around 30 regular and occasional players. In 2011, the team took part in Bristol Pride and Swindon Pride. In July 2011, the team were chosen as hosts for the Union Cup 2013 European Gay rugby tournament.[3]
In 2016, the Bristol Bisons moved to Clifton RFC near the Mall in Cribbs Causeway.
In 2017 the Bristol Bisons gained sponsorship from Event Exchange.
In 2019, in anticipation of attending the Union Cup in Dublin, the club had a new logo and kit designed.
Tournaments
The following is a list of tournaments held by or attended by the team.
Tournaments hosted
- 2006 – Spring – Rugby Tournament, Bristol
- 2006 – Rugby 7's tournament at Bristol Gay Mardi Gras
- 2007 – Spring – Rugby Tournament, Bristol
- 2013 – Union Cup – Rugby Tournament, Bristol
Tournaments attended
Union Cup
- 2005 Montpellier, France, finished in seventh place
- 2007 Copenhagen, Denmark, part of a joint team with the Newcastle Ravens and Cardiff Lions that reached the final and lost to the Dublin Emerald Warriors RFC
- 2009 London, UK, first in the 7's after a closely fought final against the Paris team
- 2011 Amsterdam, Netherlands, second in the 10s tournament behind Montpellier, France
- 2013 Bristol, UK, hosted in Bristol, UK [1][3]
- 2016 Madrid, Spain, narrowly lost out on winning the Silver Union Bowl, finishing third from bottom in the European rankings
- 2019 Dublin, Ireland, lost in the final to Kings Cross Steelers 3rds, finishing 10th over all in European rankings
Bingham Cup
- 2008 Dublin, Ireland, some members of the team played with the Cardiff Lions at the Dublin Bingham Cup in 2008
- 2012 Manchester
- 2018 Amsterdam, Netherlands, lost in the final of the Hoagland Bowl to Caledonian Thebans RFC, coming in 10th overall in Tier 2
Memberships and affiliations
- Full member of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB)[4]
- Affiliated members of the Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union(GRFU)[5]
- Affiliated members of the Rugby Football Union(RFU)
References
- ^ a b Beacham, Rhiannon (14 May 2013). "Gay rugby Union Cup 2013 hosted by Bristol Bisons". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ "The Union Cup". Gay Rugby Clubs. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Bristol Bisons to host the Union Cup 2013". Everything Rugby. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ "Members". International Gay Rugby Association and Board. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ Quirke, Jeni. "Bristol Bisons join Rugby Football Union". Pink Paper. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2015.