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| 1 November 1995 |
The world's first rugby club for gay and bisexual men was founded at a meeting which took place in Central Station, a gay pub in London's King's Cross district on 1 November 1995. The "Steelers" part of the name came about because many of the club's founder members were keen fans of American Football.
The Steelers' claim to the title of the "world's first gay rugby club" is based on the fact that South Africa's Jamieson Raiders (founded in 1985) are an annual invitation team, rather than a registered club playing seasonal fixtures. Additionally, the Sydney-based POOFTAs (also founded in 1985) play touch rugby rather than matches under the Union Code.
Training
started at the beginning of 1996 and the club joined the Surrey County
Union in the summer of 1996. The first game under RFU rules took place
on 21 September 1996 when we played Orleans Former Pupils at Stawberry
Hill (lost 92-10), followed by London Cornish 3 a week later.
Kings Cross Steelers RFC first played in Irish green and royal blue inverse
quarters shirts, blue shorts and plain blue socks. The Change Strip shirts
are burgundy and royal blue inverse quarters.