WASHINGTON RENEGADES RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
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Mission Statement
The Washington Renegades is the United States oldest, largest, and most successful gay and inclusive men's rugby football club. We are a founding member of the IGR (International Gay Rugby), and strive to showcase skilled, competitive, rugby as a bonding team sport open to all interested men, cis or trans, and of any sexual orientation. We field competitive sides in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) of USA Rugby in Division III and Division IV and participate in the IGR Championship — the Mark Bingham Cup — every two years. The Renegades have won the CRU and MAC Championships in D3 and D4, been to the USAR Final Four and are the current IGR North America East champions. The Club provides a solid rugby and social experience for both seasoned players and newcomers, while maintaining our role as a social equality advocates. All are welcome to play for the Renegades. We are a diverse mix of people from the D.C. Metropolitan area welcoming players regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or income
About This Cause
First and foremost, the Washington Renegades are dedicated to learning, teaching and playing rugby. Established on October 24, 1998, in Washington, D.C., by Mark Hertzog, the Washington Renegades was the first men's rugby club in the United States to actively recruit gay men. In October 1999, the club played its first 15s match against the Roanoke Rugby Football Club. In July 2000, the team competed in a sevens tournament held in London, England against teams from London and Manchester. In May 2001, the club held the inaugural International Gay Rugby Invitational, which included teams from San Francisco, Manchester, England and Buenos Aires. Also attending were individual players from Chicago, London and Melbourne. Since 2002 the club has participated in the IGR Mark Bingham Cup, named for former UC Berkley and SF Fog rugby player Mark Bingham, who died on Sept. 11, 2001 on United Flight 93. Since forming, the Renegades have maintained a twice-a-week practice schedule and played a competitive match schedule each spring, summer and fall. The club always welcomes new players to the sport by offering formal and informal instruction on an ongoing basis. To forge friendships and celebrate others' differences: As is common throughout the sport of rugby, the team emphasizes building camaraderie and friendships on and off the pitch. By seeking diversity among team members across age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, the Washington Renegades are dedicated to building bridges among communities while increasing the visibility of rugby. Off the pitch, the team regularly hosts a wide variety of social gatherings. To give back to our community: The Washington Renegades are committed to giving back to our community through charitable and educational activities. Starting in 2000, the Renegades have had a strong volunteering relationship with Food & Friends, a nonprofit organization that packages and delivers meals and groceries to nearly 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses such as breast, lung and colon cancer throughout Washington, D.C. and 14 counties of Maryland and Virginia, including the preparation of Thanksgiving and holiday meals. Some other volunteering highlights include, AIDSRide, when six Renegades participated and rode 330 miles over 4 days to raise funds for the Whitman Walker Clinic and Food & Friends. Team members have also held fundraisers for the FDNY Ladder 11/Engine 28 and annually participate in Team DC's Christmas Toy Drive. The Renegades have hosted after school rugby clinics for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), including running a rugby introductory course for children at three elementary schools (Neval Thomas, Charles Drew and Charles Houston) in Ward 7 in Northeast DC for their after school programs. The Renegades practice at Cardozo High School. As part of our ongoing community support, the Renegades purchased 25 Nook E-readers for the high school to add to their electronic resources library. We also purchase the back-to-school faculty breakfast for the school