The One with International Gay Rugby

It has more member clubs than some national governing bodies, and was set up to make sure people in the LGBTQ+ community were able to enjoy rugby as their authentic selves.But International Gay Rugby (IGR), like all major sporting bodies, has had its own challenges to overcome during in the pandemic – and that’s also true for chair Karl Ainscough-Gates.He became IGR chair in the summer of 2020 – and immediately had to deal with things like the postponement of the Bingham Cup, managing IGR’s relationship with World Rugby and more.So, now things have settled a little bit, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with Karl to chat about both IGR and his love of rugby.That’s what this conversation is about – how he got into the sport; why inclusivity matters; how rugby has become more inclusive over the years; why allyship matters; what the plans are for a year of celebrations for IGR’s 20th anniversary; and whether he still enjoys the game as much as he used to!WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST? @IGRugby igrugby.org WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST? @jack_murley [email protected] CREDIT: IGR (https://igrugby.org/photos)