The Village Spartans where founded in 1998 in Manchester, UK, becoming the second gay and inclusive team in the United Kingdom, after the Kings Cross Steelers in 1995. This was in response to the hostile environment encountered by players at the time trying to participate within non-inclusive teams, and sought to establish a gay and inclusive team to counter this. In August 1999, the Village Spartans and Kings Cross Steelers played the first match between two gay and inclusive rugby clubs in the United Kingdom. The Steelers won 22-15. This initial match evolved into the annual Pioneers Cup, which both the Spartans and Steelers host on a rotating basis. As both clubs have expanded multiple squads from both clubs compete in matches of similar skilled sides. In 2002 the club changed its club colours to the Rainbow Flag of the LGBT Community, colours which have been retained throughout various kit designs ever since. In 2012 the Spartans hosted the Bingham Cup, an international tournament for gay and inclusive teams from over a dozen countries, often termed the ‘gay rugby world cup’ for its scale. In 2017 the Spartans bid for the 2019 Union Cup, a Pan-European gay and inclusive rugby tournament, losing out to the Emerald Warriors RFC from Dublin, Ireland. 2017 marked the first time the Spartans sent three teams to an international competition, with the 3rd team winning the bronze bowl. In 2017 the Spartans launched a full-time Touch Rugby programme, representing the first-time women were able to join the club as players. As of 2018 the Touch programme has 2 teams contesting in the Trafford Touch League. In 2019 the Spartans sent two teams to the pan-European gay and inclusive rugby tournament, the Union Cup. The 1st team made it to the final of the Union Cup division, losing to the Kings Cross Steelers 1st team, and placing as Union Cup runners up, and second in the tournament overall. The Spartans 2nd team made it to the final of the Challenger Cup division, winning the final and the Challenger Cup. In 2019 the Spartans celebrated their 20th anniversary, marking the team as one of the oldest gay and inclusive teams in the world, and the second oldest in the UK and Ireland. At present, the club has the following teams:
Manchester Village Spartans 1XV – North West Intermediate League Division 3 South
Manchester Village Spartans 2XV – IGR North
Manchester Village Spartans Touch Team
The Spartans club house is the Sale Sports Club, based in Sale, Trafford.
Name and kit
The Spartans take their name from the Spartans of Ancient Greece, whose warrior culture encouraged and celebrated male sexual and romantic love as a form of camaraderie and strength. Since 2002 the club colours have been the rainbow flag of the LGBT community, and have been retained in various kit redesigns over the years. The Spartans are unique as the only UK gay and inclusive team to prominently feature the rainbow flag on their kit. The logo shows a Spartan helmet with a rainbow plume, and the club has the moto Unione Fortior which means Strength in Union.
Charitable Status
The Manchester Village Spartans have community amateur sports club status, Scheme Number CH10207, a status different from charity status but conveying some of the same benefits.
Results in Leagues and Tournaments
2018 / 19
1XV - Union Cup - Union Division - Union Cup Runners Up
2XV - Union Cup - Challenger Division - Challenger Cup Winners
1XV - North West Intermediate League - Div 3 South
2XV - IGR North League - 4th out of 7
2017 / 18
1XV - North West Intermediate League – Div 3 South
2XV - North West Intermediate League – Div 5 East
1XV – Bingham Cup – Bingham Division - 12th out of 24
2XV – Bingham Cup – Challenger Division - 22nd out of 22
