Renegades on the pitch in front of the Taj Mahal, India. We get around.

The Washington Renegades is a Division III rugby union football club, a member of the Potomac Rugby Union and USA Rugby. We provide a solid rugby and social experience for both seasoned players and newcomers to the sport.

All are welcome to play for the Renegades. We are a diverse mix of people from the DC Metropolitan area welcoming players regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or income.

Come join us to learn, play, and excel at the greatest sport on earth!

Mission

Our mission is to learn, teach and play rugby; to forge new friendships and celebrate others' differences (just like SpongeBob); and to give back to our supportive communities through charitable and educational activities.

We are committed to the ethics of inclusion, mutual respect and consideration, fair and safe play on the field and providing a harassment-free sporting environment.

To learn, teach and play rugby. First and foremost, the Washington Renegades are dedicated to learning, teaching and playing rugby. Established on October 24, 1998, in Washington, D.C. by Mark Hertzog, the Washington Renegades was the first men's rugby club in the United States to actively recruit gay men and men of color.

In October 1999, the club played its first 15s match against the Roanoke Rugby Football Club. In July 2000, the team competed in a sevens tournament held in London, England against teams from London and Manchester. In May 2001, the club held its inaugural International Rugby Invitational, which included teams from San Francisco, Manchester, England and Buenos Aires. Also attending were individual players from Chicago, London and Melbourne. In 2002 and 2004, the club participated in the IGRAB Rugby Festival and Mark Bingham Cup, named for former UC Berkley and SF Fog rugby player Mark Bingham, who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Since forming, the Renegades have maintained a twice-a-week practice schedule and played a competitive match schedule each spring, summer and fall. The club always welcomes new players to the sport by offering formal and informal instruction on an ongoing basis.

To forge friendships and celebrate others' differences. As is common throughout the sport of rugby, the team emphasizes building camaraderie and friendships on and off the pitch. By seeking diversity among team members across age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, the Washington Renegades are dedicated to building bridges among communities while increasing the visibility of rugby. Off the pitch, the team regularly hosts a wide variety of social gatherings.

To give back to our supportive communities. The Washington Renegades are committed to giving back to our communities through charitable and educational activities. Starting in 2000, the Renegades have had a strong volunteering relationship with Food & Friends, a nonprofit organization that packages and delivers meals and groceries to nearly 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses such as breast, lung and colon cancer throughout Washington, DC and 14 counties of Maryland and Virginia, including the preparation of Thanksgiving and holiday meals. In 2004, we expanded our community outreach with two events at Stead Field, one an open scrimmage for the public to attend and one as part of a community field day. The Renegades are also members of Friends of Stead, a grass roots organization dedicated to the maintenance, improvement and preservation of DC's green spaces, specifically the Stead Recreation center and smaller parks in the Dupont neighborhood. Some other volunteering highlights include, AIDSRide 2001, when six Renegades participated and rode 330 miles over 4 days to raise funds for the Whitman Walker Clinic and Food & Friends. Team members also held fundraisers for the FDNY Ladder 11/Engine 28 and annually participate in Team DC's Christmas Toy Drive.

Our Club Colors and Logo

The Washington Renegades' club colors are royal blue and black. Our logo is in the club's colors and is in the shape of an American eagle over a single star, denoting the club's location in the nation's capital.

How We Operate

The Washington Renegades are governed by a set of Bylaws. The board of directors meets once a month and conducts meetings according to Roberts Rules of Order. Directors are elected to one-year terms each December and take office January 1 of the following year.

The name Washington Renegades belongs to the Washington Renegades RFC, fully incorporated and branded as such in 1998.