Melbourne Chargers Storm The Bingham Cup
Image: Image: Chris Chandler
Melbourne’s only gay and inclusive Rugby club, The Melbourne Chargers have returned from Rome after another fantastic competition at the Bingham Cup.
Heading to Rome for the 2024 competition the team had high hopes, after putting on a stellar performance they ultimately brought home the Hoagland plate for Melbourne.
They joined players from Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth who all put on an equally fantastic performance.
Melbourne Chargers Fight For The Bingham Cup
President of the Melbourne Chargers Christopher Pezet head spoke to the Star Observer ahead of the 2024 competiton and shared his excitement at participating in the event, recalling his favourite moments competing in the past.
“Personally my first Bingham was in Ottawa 2022 after a four year hiatus because of Covid” he recalls.
“It’s really hard to explain the feeling of being there. With so many like minded and queer identifying people, all brought together for the love of a sport. It’s truely spine tingling.”
“We played hard that year going undefeated in our pool in the Hoagland tier (one tier lower than Bingham). We were then bumped up and played against Seattle Quake which we lost in the last 10 seconds to some quick plays near the try line.”
“While disappointing we won our final match for 3rd place and roughly moved 10 places up in ranking that year.”
While that match will always remain memorable for the club, 2024 proved to be another stellar performance for the club.
Despite not securing the Bingham Cup in Rome the Melbourne Chargers managed to secure the Hoagland Plate, the prize for winning the second tier of the competition.
Their final match was won against the Manchester Village Spartans, “It has been an amazing tour and tournament” Pezet said.
“The team have played with pride, intensity and commitment. And that was the difference that helped us clench this victory. It’ll be a tournament we will be talking about for years to come.”
The Chargers also achieved a milestone in the 2024 tournament.
In a first for any Australian team two female players joined them in Rome.
Players Tabz and Katie travelled with the team and competed in the tournament playing with the Dublin Emerald Warriors.
A Proud History
The Bingham Cup, officially known as the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, is a biennial international rugby competition founded in 2002.
Named in honour of Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player and one of the heroes of United Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks, the Bingham Cup is a celebration of inclusivity and diversity within rugby union.
The tournament was established to provide a competitive platform for gay and inclusive rugby teams worldwide, fostering a sense of community and breaking down stereotypes associated with LGBTQ+ participation in sports.
The Melbourne Chargers first competed in the competition in 2012 in Manchester, they have returned to every competition since and even took home the cup at the 2016 tournament held in Nashville.
