About Us
Rugby
for all
Born in the summer of 2014, the Armada Montreal RFC is the very first inclusive gay rugby club to emerge in Quebec. The team offers a sporting environment in which everyone can play regardless of sexual orientation; the players emit a strong and positive image which allows the development of any individual, without any form of discrimination.
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The men's team, now part of the IGR (International Gay Rugby) association, stood out at the 2016 Bingham Cup in Nashville, TN, placing 3rd in their division.
The team also stood out in 2017 by winning the 2017 Robin Cup in Ottawa and the Beaver Bowl in Montreal against teams from Toronto, Boston, Ottawa, Columbus and Philadelphia.
2018 was a pivotal year for Armada. In its second appearance at the Bingham Cup, Armada won the Challenger Cup, which is first place in the Third Division. A few months later, Armada won the Beaver Bowl for the second consecutive year, this time held in Toronto.
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In 2019, Armada competed in the Capital City Cup in Columbus, Ohio, in the Premier League. After this great challenge, Armada took part in games in Rugby Quebec's DD2 league, and also competed in the Beaver Bowl in Toronto in September, which was won by the Muddy York team from Toronto.
Now we continue to recruit and expand our horizons.
The team has a core of around 30 players on the male-identified side and a smaller number on the female-identified side. While people of all gender expressions are welcome, our league rules are limited to players who identify as cis or transgender. Armada Montreal is part of International Gay Rugby (IGR) - an international league of inclusive rugby teams. We are also members of Rugby Canada / Quebec. During the year, the team organizes bi-weekly practices and occasional social events.
During the rugby season - which runs from the end of April until September - we play some friendly matches, some competitive ones, with local teams and IGR teams. Some matches are in Montreal while others involve travel. The team also participates in tournaments that take place in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
Armada is administered by a board of volunteers who are elected annually at our General Assembly. The board, usually consisting of six people, takes care of the administration of the team behind the scenes with the help of volunteer committees. We have three coaches who help during practices and matches. Lastly, we have a player representative who acts as a liaison between the players and the board of directors. It is this person's responsibility to make the voice of the players heard on the board of directors and to respond to individual player requests. You can write to board members in the Contact us section.
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Read our charter and code of conduct below.