The Bingham Cup is an international rugby competition named in remembrance of Mark Kendall Bingham, one of the heroic victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist action in the USA. Mark was a keen rugby player, playing for one of USA’s leading gay & bisexual rugby teams - San Francisco Fog RFC.
In 2002 a coordinating group of gay & bisexual rugby teams based around the globe got together to create IGRAB a body to promote rugby as an all-inclusive non-discriminatory sport which everyone can play, regardless of sexuality. The formation of this body led to the inauguration of a new international rugby competition which in a unanimous decision by all the members of IGRAB became known as the Bingham Cup.
The first Bingham Cup was held in 2002 and hosted by the San Francisco Fog, Mark Bingham’s home team. That year, eight teams traveled to California to compete over two days with the Fog coming out on top as the Cup’s first winners. In 2004, the Bingham Cup was hosted by London’s Kings Cross Steelers. From eight teams just two years prior, twenty teams from four countries were fielded for the 2004 Bingham Cup which was won for the second time by the San Francisco Fog. New York's Gotham Knights took up the host mantle in 2006 and along with the addition of a third day of match play the Knights presided over a new mid-tier competition (The Bowl) and an inaugural Women's competition. That year the Cup and Plate were won by the Sydney Convicts and The Bowl was won by the Boston Ironsides.
As we open registration for the 2008 Bingham Cup, we are planning a similar competition structure as that implemented in New York and anticipating further growth in the number of teams attending.
Modificado el ( Wednesday, 01 de August de 2007 )
Mark Bingham
Mark Kendall Bingham (May 22, 1970 - September 11, 2001) was an American public relations executive who founded his own company, the Bingham Group. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and president of his fraternity, Chi Psi.
He died at age 31 in the September 11, 2001, on board United Airlines flight 93. He is believed to have been among the passengers who stormed the cockpit to prevent the hijackers from using the plane to kill hundreds or thousands of additional victims. In a cell phone call to his mother, Alice Hoagland, shortly before the plane went down, he told her, "some of us here are going to try to do something."
For his actions, he was posthumously lauded as The Advocate’s 2001 Person of the Year. Senators John McCain and Barbara Boxer honored him in a ceremony for San Francisco Bay Area victims on September 17, 2001, presenting a folded American flag to Paul Holm and singer Melissa Etheridge dedicated the song "Tuesday Morning" to his memory.
A strapping athlete, at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), Mark played for the San Francisco Fog. In college, he played for the University of California Berkeley rugby team, which won string of national championships. In his honor, the International Gay Rugby Association and Board's biannual international rugby competition aimed predominantly for gay and bisexual men was named the Bingham Cup and first hosted by Mark's team, the San Francisco Fog, in 2002.
Modificado el ( Monday, 06 de August de 2007 )
Dublin, Ireland
About Dublin
Now in its second millennium, Dublin has long been recognised as a major Capital City and as a must-visit on every itinerary for visitors to Europe and the Northern hemisphere. The main urban area is home to over one million people and over the last ten years has seen a remarkable development boom which has transformed the once rundown areas of the city into cosmopolitan centres for culture, dining and the indefinable Irish experience, 'craic'. Geographically, the city is divided by the river Liffey immortalised in James Joyce's 'Ulysses' thus the 'northsiders' and 'southsiders' have their own distinct variations on the accents, attitudes and attributes of the city as a whole.
From the 12th Century castle walls to the 16th Century Trinity College, home to the book of Kells, to the 21st Century Calatrava bridge Dublin has a wide range of architectural sights for the discerning traveller.
However, this city is most renowned for the Dublin Pub. It is said that "God created alcohol to prevent the Irish from taking over the Earth", and you can believe this with the number of pubs in the city, over 900, so we're sure you'll find one or two to your taste.
Major Attractions Dublin is a small city on a world scale with a low-rise culture that refuses to dwarf its historical and architectural past. The main attraction of this intimate and friendly place is its people. Open, friendly and welcoming, Dubliners are famed for their hospitality the world over. Whether it's over a pint of Guinness or a frappe, this is a population filled with curiosity about other cultures and a willingness to envelop the visitor in their own. The history of the city is well documented in its impressive museums and historical landmarks from its beginnings in the 10th Century to it's position as the 'Island of Saints and Scholars' to the home in the 19th and 20th century to some of the leading lights of world literature including Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, RB Sheridan, Samuel Beckett, WB Yeats and Seamus Heaney. A scattergun of attractions Dublin has to offer include the Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse, The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, the Old Jameson Distillery, Kilmainham Gaol, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Abbey and Gate Theatres, Croke Park Gaelic Games, the Dublin PRIDE Festival and much more.
Gay Dublin As the capital city of Ireland, Dublin is home to many gay migrants from regional cities and rural areas of the country. This contributes to a high proportion of gay men and women in the city. The result is a city centre that is home to a gay quarter of cafes, galleries, clubs and cultural centres as well as laid back bars where one can enjoy the odd pint of Guinness. The city's annual Pride parade grows by the year and is attended by political and city leaders. The 2006 parade was attended and addressed by the leader of the opposition party while the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) offices were opened by An Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern and Senator David Norris.
Weather Dublin is a coastal city with a temperate climate which makes for great weather for a rugby tournament in June with the occasional rain shower likely to make landing softer and a mean temperature that will make for comfortable play. Rugby was made for the Irish climate.
Average temperature is 18°C, average monthly precipitation is 55mm and June is the sunniest month in Ireland.
Public Transportation The advantage of our rugby campus approach, is that event venues, accommodation and catering all take place within walking distance of each other. However, for incidental travel to and from the city, there are numerous options available to the visitor. There is an efficient bus, tram and suburban rail system in operation in Dublin with an average journey price of €1.90. Weekly and monthly travel passes are also available for these services and result in significant savings. The grounds at Dublin City University (DCU), the venue, are served by several bus routes and are a mere 10-15 minutes by taxi from the airport and 15 minutes from the city centre. Most of the major attractions in the city centre are within comfortable walking distance from each other.
Crime Rate People socialise freely in the greater Dublin area in great numbers every evening and weekend. The city is well policed with foot patrols of gardai (police). Like every city it has a level of petty crime that can be avoided by taking the normal precautions of any tourist.
Ireland in General There is a huge range of attractions in Ireland. As an island the country has the full range of sea-going pursuits from surfing to deep sea fishing. If golf is your thing, Ireland was home to the Ryder Cup in 2006 and boasts some of the best links and inland courses in Europe. There's always a pint of Guinness and there's always a story to be told whether it's kissing the Blarney Stone, touring the Ring of Kerry, Connemara, The Aran Islands, the Giants Causeway, Newgrange, Galway and The West, West Cork or Wicklow. It's a land of infinite choice.
Modificado el ( Thursday, 02 de August de 2007 )
Emerald Warriors RFC
The Emerald Warriors Rugby Football Club (EWRFC) was set up in late 2003 and is now going in its 5th season. Its membership has grown steadily over that period and can now boast over 40 playing members. The club is managed by a committee and the team is trained by three coaches. In 2006 the club secured its own grounds which are shared with another Dublin based rugby club.
As of this season the Emerald Warriors have become a Junior Club and are competing in the J4 league
As well as domestic fixtures, the Emerald Warriors RFC compete regularly on a UK and European stage. Notably the team has competed in 2007 to win the Union Sevens Trophy in the European Union Cup. The Emerald Warriors first competed in The Bingham Cup in London in 2004 and competed again in New York in 2006. The Warriors are also the current holders of the Dalriada Quaich.
Modificado el ( Wednesday, 21 de November de 2007 )
Dublin City University
Dublin City University(DCU) DCU is one of three major state universities in Dublin. It is located between the suburbs of Glasnevin and Ballymun and midway between the airport and the city centre ie about 6kms from the airport and 5kms from the city centre. As this is a full university campus it has the added attraction of the pitches, accommodation, catering and leisure facilities all being on at the same location.
Pitches and Pitchside Facilities The playing grounds at DCU have 5 international regulation size grass pitches and one warm up all weather pitch for practice. The practice pitch will also be available on the Wednesday and Thursday before the tournament. In addition there will be team changing rooms with full shower and toilet facilities allocated to each team for the duration of their matches. There are also separate changing facilities for referees and officials of the tournament.
Other Facilities DCU has a state of the art sports centre consisting of a 25 metre swimming pool, a tepidarium, sauna, steam room, spa pool, fitness centre and weights room, three indoor sports halls and two squash courts. Participants who avail of the Accommodation and Food Gold Package will have the use of these facilities at certain times during the day. The pool facilities will be available to all participants at a charge of €20 per swim.
Catering On campus catering provides breafast, lunch and dinner. A packed lunch will be provided each day free of charge and will be available for collection from the dining hall at breakfast time.
Laundry There is an on site self service laundry built to cater for 1000+ students awhich will be operational throughout the duration of the tournament.
Transport to City Centre DCU is approximately 15mins drive from the city centre. The university campus is served by several bus routes to the city centre and airport. Taxi's are also available from the front gate of the campus.
Medical Centre A private clinic providing urgent care is located on campus and open from 8am to 10pm each day. The clinic provides care for all sports injuries of a non critical nature for a fee.
About 
However, this city is most renowned for the Dublin Pub. It is said that "God created alcohol to prevent the Irish from taking over the Earth", and you can believe this with the number of pubs in the city, over 900, so we're sure you'll find one or two to your taste. 
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