What is the Bingham Cup? Why are we going?

Named after Mark Bingham, the gay rugby player who fought back on 9/11 and died on United Flight 93, Bingham Cup is the premier tournament in gay rugby. All teams at Bingham are members of IGRAB, the global gay rugby body. Bingham Cup 2012 will be held in Manchester, England and the host IGRAB club is the Manchester Village Spartans RUFC. We will be playing at a first-class rugby facility which is the home pitch of the Broughton Park RUFC. This will be our fifth Bingham Cup.

Tournament Format: Bingham Cup is a 3-day tournament. We can expect the trip to look generally like the following…

Wednesday, May 30: Travel to Manchester.
Thursday, May 31: Practice.
Friday, June 1 – Sunday, June 3: Tournament Play. Matches typically consist of two 20-minute halves.
Monday, June 4: Return victorious to Dallas (or travel on from Manchester)

Should I Register Myself? NO. The Diablos will register for Bingham Cup as a team.

Costs: As of mid-November the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the British Pound is 0.62.

Airfare: There are no direct flights from DFW to Manchester, but connecting flights are available. We will explore team discounts for air travel. As of early November, round trip 1-stop flights were ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 in coach.

Hotel: The official hotel is the Mint Hotel in Manchester. The hotel will be the only pick up / drop off point for buses to the pitch. Double rooms are currently priced at GBP£115 per night, or approximately US$185 plus tax.

Spending Money / Meals / Drinks: These items are your responsibility.

Special Note: If you would like to play at Bingham Cup but may be unable to do so for financial reasons, please speak to one of us privately. While nothing can be guaranteed, the club will consider efforts to support players in financial need.

What Do I Need to Do?

Commit to Attending: Players must let us know if they plan to attend no later than December 3, 2011. While this is not a “binding” commitment we do need to know how many players plan to attend before we register for the tournament, which is on a tight deadline. Please contact Jim or Donnie with your response / questions.

Participate in Fund Raising: The more funds the Diablos can raise through fund raising activities, the more we can offset costs for players. In years past, these cost offsets have been substantial due to fund raising. Fund raising is critical in all years but especially in a Bingham year. We need ALL Diablos (whether you are going to Bingham or not) to help with fund raising. Bingham players are expected to actively participate in fund raising. If you would like to donate directly to the cause you can mail your tax deductible donation to Dallas Diablos RFC P.O. 190862 Box Dallas TX 75219 No donation is too small. Anything and Everything helps the Diablos get to Manchester!!

Get a Passport: Travel to England requires a valid passport. If you do not have a passport, you need to take action now. You may need to locate and furnish documents and passport photos along with your application. The fee for a first-time passport is $165; a renewal is $140. The processing time is currently 4-6 weeks but can vary significantly from month to month. Full information about obtaining (or renewing) a passport is available here: Passport .