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# Colchester Kings ready to host UK’s International Gay Rugby Finals
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/colchester-kings-ready-to-host-uks-international-gay-rugby-finals/
- Published: 2026-04-21T08:57:38.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-22T08:50:28.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: UK, News

**Colchester** will take centre stage in UK LGBTQ+ sport this weekend as it hosts the **International Gay Rugby** (IGR) **UK Finals Day**, an event expected to attract hundreds of players, supporters and visitors from across the country.

The town is hosting one of the largest LGBTQ+ sporting events in the UK, with the finals taking place on **Saturday, 25 April** at **Raven Park**, Cuckoo Farm Way, home of the **Colchester Kings** rugby club, East Anglia’s first LGBTQ+ inclusive rugby team. 

More than 200 players from teams nationwide are expected to travel to Essex for the culmination of the IGR league season, bringing a significant boost to the local economy as well as celebrating inclusion and diversity in sport.

TheColchester Kings will both host and compete on Finals Day after a standout season. The club secured their place with a dominant 57-5 victory over **Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents** in March, winning the **IGR South Division 2** title and earning the right to contest the national finals on home ground.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/04/552639997_18022164659770279_1014149135272374165_n.jpg)

****Colchester Kings**

Matches will get under way at **12pm**, with the Kings facing **Manchester Village Spartans at 1pm**. Alongside the rugby, organisers have planned a full programme of entertainment, including live music, food and drink stalls, and family-friendly activities throughout the day.

Club vice-chair **James Silverstone** said hosting the finals was about far more than the rugby itself.

“This isn’t just a final for us - it’s a moment for Colchester,” he said. “To be able to bring a national LGBTQ+ sporting event here, and to do it off the back of our strongest season, means a huge amount. We’ve always said this club is about more than rugby – it’s about giving people a place where they feel they belong”.

Kings captain **Tom Crudgington** added that playing the final at home carried special significance for players who have not always felt welcome in traditional sporting environments.

“For a lot of us, rugby hasn’t always felt like a space we could fully be ourselves in. This club changed that, and now we get to play a national final at home, surrounded by a community that’s backed us all the way,” he said.