An idea
gypsy Rugby was an idea that was formulated by 7 individuals - many of which came from military backgrounds both in USA and overseas. We all longed for the camaraderie that comes from serving your country and playing rugby for your clubs/Forces/Country. The idea was to get like-minded individuals together and have some fun playing rugby as high a level as we could without detracting from the ultimate goal of having FUN.
The first tournament that we attended was Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 2004. We took 17 members along with wives and of course the obligatory pickups. The goal was to play, have fun and survive. I don’t believe we started a game with 15 and still managed to have a winning record at the tournament although to be fair it was a blur. Within that squad were 10 Serving or ex forces personnel from Canada, England and USA covering off all services.
The third tour came with the introduction of our ladies team and this has been our biggest step. The ladies began with 20 girls predominately from the Northeast USA, within their ranks were serving personnel with the US forces. The ladies have been the driving force at times and the glue that has patched holes within the fabric.
We recently celebrated our 10th Anniversary with a revisit to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We had 150 players and 45+ partners/Members. The teams all went undefeated; we were able to bring in almost 300 players for the gathering.
The gypsy’s now have over 480 members spread all over the world. We have over 200 active members within the forces and currently serving their countries. We cover 33 States in USA, 8 provinces and territories in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and France.
gypsy Rugby was started by: An Airman, A Soldier, A Marine and A Sailor. We stand by our commitment to our Armed Forces, Coast Guard, Fire Service, Police service, Marshall Services, Drug Enforcement and Ambulance Services, we celebrate the victories and remember the losses.