The New York Ramblers are a soccer club based in New York City , operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of the same name. They were founded in 1980 when an ad was placed in the Village Voice looking for gay men interested in playing soccer in an area of Central Park known as the Ramble . This was the birth of the New York Ramblers, the world's first organized openly gay soccer club. The Ramblers provided a space for gay men who enjoyed the sport to meet and socialize outside of the traditional settings of bars and clubs.
21-540: Shortly after the beginning of the Ramblers, more gay soccer clubs began forming around the country. In conjunction with this, the original members of these first clubs organized the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association ( IGLFA ), which today has over twenty women’s teams and thirty men’s teams in its membership. The Ramblers have traveled the country and globe participating in various soccer tournaments, from
42-476: A North American championship also began in 2011. The IGLFA World Championships were held every year from 1992 to 2010, but now are held only on even-numbered years; odd-numbered years are currently used for the continental championships and other competitions. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , there was no 2020 world championship nor any 2021 regional championships. Beginning in 2019, IGFLA also began recognizing
63-510: A means of giving back to the community, the Ramblers Scholarship supports student athletes pursuing an undergraduate education who openly self-identify as LGBT , or as demonstrated and committed straight allies. Ramblers Scholars are awarded for helping to break down stereotypes about LGBT people in sports. As the only scholarship geared toward LGBT student athletes, it serves as a vital resource for many young people who qualify. Following
84-613: A number of ups and downs. The arrival of Meade Thayer from Boston took the club to a new, more professional direction. Meade had been one of the strong leaders of the Boston Strikers club. He moved to DC for his work, and the Feds were lucky to have him here. Meade tried a number of new coaching ideas and ultimately the club entered a team into the Washington International Soccer League (WISL). Meade's new leadership at
105-458: Is a common LGBT symbol . FTSC's original logo was thus a soccer ball imposed on top of a pink triangle. The Philadelphia Falcons were founded one year before FTSC was, and the two clubs established a close bond very early on. Three FTSC members attended a small tournament hosted by the Falcons in the spring of 1991 and highly enjoyed the experience, returning the favor later that year (but before
126-561: Is an international organization which was founded in 1992 with the intention of promoting association football (known as soccer in the United States and football in most of the rest of the world) in the LGBTQ+ community and to promote queer football to the world at large. The IGLFA is the governing body of LGBT football and regulates the association football portion of the Gay Games as well as
147-518: Is the most successful mixed gender club, having won 11 times (1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019). Other clubs who have won the male competition multiple times are San Francisco Spikes (7 times), Cream Team Cologne (3 times), West Hollywood Soccer Club (3 times), SAFG Argentina (2 times), Federal Triangles Soccer Club (2 times), and the Minnesota Gray Ducks (2 times). There are currently no repeat Champions in
168-602: The New York Ramblers , the Philadelphia Falcons , and the Atlanta Heat ) reached out to the as-of-yet-unnamed FTSC to participate in a large upcoming tournament hosted by Atlanta. The club pulled together a coed team for the 1991 tournament; they did not win any medals at the tournament, but earned a highlight 1-0 win over Atlanta's "B team" on a goal by Glenn Auve with a brilliant assist by Heather Milton. Members of
189-908: The Sin City Classic , the largest annual LGBT sports event in the world, as the official indoor championship, though the Las Vegas tournament had held soccer tournaments for many years before. This tournament is otherwise known as the IGLFA World Indoor Championship. All IGLFA tournaments are split into Mixed Gender and Female competitions. Whilst the majority of participants in the mixed gender competition are male, all genders are permitted to participate. As of February 2020, 39 tournaments have been held, including 7 tournaments before IGLFA, 23 IGLFA World Championships, 4 IGLFA Euro Championships, 2 IGLFA North American championships, 2 official indoor championships, and 1 IGLFA Unity cup. Stonewall FC
210-535: The 2016 IGLFA Division 1 World Championship in Portland. When founded the club had no name, but was existing as the soccer branch of DC Sports. FTSC's invitation to the 1991 Atlanta tournament forced the club's founding members to come determine a name for the club. The name "Federal Triangles" had a dual purpose: the club originally played games near the Federal Triangle Metro Stop, and the pink triangle
231-444: The DC mayor's office, and the DC city council. The 1997 IGLFA tournament was the largest to date, and included a women's tournament for the first time outside of the Gay Games . The winter of 2003-2004 saw the first ever women’s league teams. By 2005, the club had more than doubled in size. The men's teams also continued to grow, with FTSC sending two teams to the annual IGLFA tournament for
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#1732844514104252-617: The Feds or FTSC , is a coed soccer club founded in 1990 by J. C. Cummings and a group of interested players under the umbrella of the DC Sports Association (the GLBT sports group of the time for the Washington, D.C. area). The club runs several tournaments and leagues throughout the year and sponsors multiple men's and women's fall and spring teams. FTSC also organizes regular pickup games, multiple tournaments, and other events throughout
273-550: The Official IGLFA World, North American and European Championships. While the IGLFA was formed in 1992, LGBT football teams competed against each other at the first Gay Games in 1982, and an autonomous international championship event was held annually beginning in 1987. Beginning in 1992, a European competition has been held by the IGLFA, though it is separate from the currently-recognized European championship which began in 2011;
294-695: The Philadelphia Pumpkin Patch and Provincetown Classic to the Munich Oktoberfest Tournament and many IGLFA World Championships and Gay Games held throughout the world. The league hosts the New York Indoor Classic held every winter. In addition to weekly matches and practices, the Ramblers also host social events throughout the year and participate in other various leagues in the New York metropolitan area. Established in 2016 as
315-508: The annual June 1 application deadline, up to two one-time scholarships of $ 2,500 each are awarded publicly to cover tuition fees. The principal agenda of the Ramblers is to provide a comfortable and fun space for all people, regardless of their skill, sexual orientation, gender, race or religion; to come together and enjoy the competition and sport of soccer, good friends and to be a part of the ongoing Ramblers family. IGLFA The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA)
336-523: The club pushed FTSC in a more professional direction in the middle of the decade, officially adding a team into the (WISC), founding the tournament that would evolve into the current Turkey Bowl, founding the Rehoboth Beach Classic (1999), and bidding to host the 1997 edition of IGLFA's annual tournament. FTSC won the bid with a group that had experience with the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics as well as support from D.C. United,
357-409: The clubs participating in that tournament, including JC Cummings and Heather Milton from FTSC, would ultimately join together to found the IGLFA the following year. FTSC has participated in all major IGLFA tournaments, though after the 1994 Gay Games a large number of women in the club started their own efforts, leaving FTSC as primarily male for several years. By the mid-1990s the Feds had experienced
378-549: The female competition. The association is affiliated with the Federation of Gay Games and awards the annual Tom Waddell Memorial Trophy (created in 1988) to the winner of its mixed gender tournament (held as part of the Gay Games in years when that event is held). Below is a summary of Mixed Gender Div.1, Mixed Gender Div.2, and Female champions at IGLFA's major international tournaments and their predecessors. Parentheses indicate
399-421: The first time. FTSC continued its strong growth, breaking past 100 members by the end of 2007. The number of women's teams expanded from 2 in 2006 to 5 by 2011 while the number of men's teams increased to 5 as of 2012. The Summer of Freedom league, host by and for FTSC members, was founded in 2010. Recently, FTSC has earned major tournament success, winning the 2015 North American Division 1 championship, and
420-610: The number of times a city has hosted or the number of times a team has won Div.1 titles and therefore crowned as IGLFA World Champions. Italics represent indoor championships. *The Sydney tournament is still considered part of the 2022 30th anniversary celebrations despite taking coinciding with WorldPride in Feb. 2023 . The following is a list of all clubs that have earned multiple medals at IGLFA-recognized tournaments (since 1992). Federal Triangles Soccer Club Federal Triangles Soccer Club , otherwise known as Federal Triangles,
441-519: The year, including the Rehoboth Beach Classic, United Night Out (UNO, D.C. United 's Pride night), and a Turkey Bowl & Thanksgiving Potluck. FTSC is a member of Team DC and the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association ( IGLFA ), and has nearly 200 paying member players of its own. FTSC are the reigning (2015) North American champions and 2016 World IGLFA champions. Shortly after founding, many GLBT+ soccer clubs (including
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