International Gay and Lesbian Football Association explained

The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) 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 the Official IGLFA World, North American and European Championships.

History

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; 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 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 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 the female competition.

World championships

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).

Tournaments and champions

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 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.

YearTournamentHostMixed Div. 1 ChampionsMixed Div. 2 ChampionsFemale Div. 1 Champions
1982Gay Games ISan FranciscoSan Francisco SpikesNot Held
/ Unknown
Not Held
1983 to 1985Not Held
1986Gay Games IISan Francisco (2)San Francisco Spikes (2,3,4,5)Team San Francisco
1987DenverNot Held
1988Seattle
1989BostonTeam Toronto
1990Gay Games IIIVancouverLos Angeles SunsSan Francisco Scotts
1991AtlantaSan Francisco Spikes (6)Not Held
1992IGLFA WC INew York CitySan Diego SparksBoston StrikersNew York Electra
1993IGLFA WC IILos AngelesSan Francisco Spikes (7)Not HeldNot Held
1994IGLFA WC III
Gay Games IV
New York City (2)Cream Team CologneCincinnati SharksColorado Beaver Trappers
1995IGLFA WC IVBerlinLondon Stonewall LionsNot HeldTeam Frankfurt
1996IGLFA WC VDallasGerman All-StarsNot Held
1997IGLFA WC VIWashington, D.C.Los Angeles Suns (2)Philadelphia FalconsStochastic Force (Washington D.C., USA)
1998IGLFA WC VII
Gay Games V
AmsterdamCream Team Cologne (2,3)Los Angeles EclipseTeam Joost (Netherlands)
1999IGLFA WC VIIIFort LauderdaleNot HeldBerlin Magic Pirates
2000IGLFA WC IXCologneLondon Stonewall Lions (2,3,4)London ApprenticesTowanda 2000 (USA)
2001IGLFA WC XLondonNot HeldAztec Parma
2002IGLFA WC XI
Gay Games VI
SydneyThe Americans SCAmhurst Aztecs (USA)
2003IGLFA WC XIIBoston (2)Americas SCFlorida StormBoston Strikers
2004IGLFA WC XIIISan Francisco (3)Florida StormNot HeldSF Spykes
2005IGLFA WC XIVCopenhagenParis PAECJapanPan Fodbold, Hilde Brand (Denmark)
2006IGLFA WC XV
Gay Game VII
ChicagoLondon Stonewall Lions (5)Boston StrikersThunderkitten Madison Wisconsin
2007IGLFA WC XVIBuenos AiresLos Dogos DAG (Argentina)West HollywoodNot Held
2008IGLFA WC XVIILondon (2)London Stonewall Lions (6,7,8,9)Leicester Wildecats (UK)Hackney Women's FC (United Kingdom)
2009IGLFA WC XVIIIWashington, D.C. (2)Seattle Jet City StrikersPhiladelphia Falcons exhibition
2010IGLFA WC XIX
Gay Games VIII
Cologne (2)tie: SAFG (Argentina)
Los Angeles Eclipse
Hobbergasen Erlangen (Germany)
2011IGLFA Euro IManchesterLondon FalconNot Held
IGLFA NAmer I
NAmer Outgames II
Vancouver (2)United FCNew York Ramblers
2012IGLFA WC XXMexico CitySAFG (Argentina)Not Held
2013IGLFA Euro IIDublinVillage Manchester FCInsaka FC (Ireland)Alternativa (Russia)
2014IGLFA WC XXI
Gay Games 9
Cleveland/AkronLondon Stonewall Lions (10)San Francisco SpikesToronto United Women
2015IGLFA Euro IIIHamburgVorspiel Berlin ICream Team CologneFC Krylya
IGLFA NAmer IIMadisonFederal Triangles Soccer Club (1,2)Not HeldNot Held
2016IGLFA WC XXIIPortlandVancouver SC
2017IGLFA Unity Cup
World OutGames IV
MiamiSAFG (Argentina) (2)Stockholm Snipers/Pan Fobold
2018IGLFA WC XXIII
Gay Games 10
ParisWest Hollywood Soccer Club (LA Eclipse) (3)London Stonewall CubsRosa Bonheur
2019IGLFA Indoor I
2019 Sin City Classic
Las Vegas (ind.)Minnesota Gray DucksSan Diego SparksDidesex (Mexico)
IGLFA Euro III
EuroGames 2019
RomeLondon Stonewall Lions (11)G Madrid SportsJumping Potatoes (Austria)
2020IGLFA Indoor II
2019 Sin City Classic
Las Vegas (ind.)Minnesota Gray Ducks (2)AZKATL (Mexico)
2021Not Held
2022*IGLFA Indoor III
2022 Sin City Classic
Las Vegas (ind.)West Hollywood Soccer Club
IGLFA WC XXIV
30th anniversary worldwide
Washington, D.C. (3)Federal Triangles Soccer ClubFederal Triangles Soccer ClubWest Hollywood Soccer Club
Sydney (2)West Hollywood Soccer ClubMinnesota Gray DucksWest Hollywood Soccer Club
2023*IGLFA Indoor IV
2023 Sin City Classic
Las Vegas (ind.)
IGLFA NAmer IIISt. PeteCANCELED
2024IGLFA Indoor V
2024 Sin City Classic
Las Vegas (ind.)
IGLFA WC XXVBuenos Aires (2)

Medalists

The following is a list of all clubs that have earned multiple medals at IGLFA-recognized tournaments (since 1992).

Legend
Club '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20
Argentina
1st3rd3rd3rd
Seleccion Argentina Futbolistas Gay SAFG 2nd1st*1st1st
Denmark
Pan Fodbold (Copenhagen) 1st2nd1st* 3rd*
France
FC Paris Lutece 1st2nd
Germany
1st3rd1st1st2rd2nd3rd3rd1st
Streetboys Munchen 2nd2nd
Ireland
Dublin Devils FC 1st2nd2nd
Mexico
AZKATL 2nd 1st
1st
Didesex 2nd* 1st
LOBOS 3rd 3rd
South Africa
The Chosen Few 3rd2nd
Sweden
Stockholm Snipers 3rd 1st* 3rd*
United Kingdom
Hackney Women's FC 2nd1st2nd*
London Falcons 3rd1st2nd
London Stonewall [Lions, Apprentices, Cubs] 3rd2nd1st2nd2nd3rd1st1st1st1st2nd1st1st1st1st1st3rd 1st
1st 2nd 2nd1st 2nd
London Titans [XXL, 2Brewers] 2nd2nd2nd2nd 3rd
Village Manchester FC 2nd2nd1st2nd
United States
1st1st1st2nd2nd
Dallas Oak Lawn 2nd2nd
Federal Triangles (D.C.) 2nd3rd2nd3rd2nd1st1st2nd
Florida Storm 1st1st2nd
Hotlanta SC 3rd3rd
Los Angeles Cobras 2nd2nd
Madison Wisconsin 1st
1st
3rd1st1st
2nd3rd
3rd
3rd3rd3rd3rd3rd3rd1st2nd
1st1st3rd*
2nd
3rd1st2nd3rd2nd3rd2nd3rd1st2nd3rd
1st3rd*
1st2nd3rd3rd1st3rd
Rain City FC [Jet City Strikers, Stonewall FC] (WA) 1st2nd2nd2nd
Team Americas SC 1st1st
Twin City Jacks 2nd2nd
United FC (FL) 2nd2nd1st3rd
2nd
West Hollywood SC [LA Suns, LA Eclipse, Rockets]2nd1st1st2nd2nd1st2nd1st*1st3rd2nd
2nd

See also

References

External links