Please find below information about playing and supporting the Fog rugby team including membership, operations, team history, understanding the rules and gameplay, or finding out how to become a player or support the club.
General
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The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club is the first gay and inclusive rugby club on the West Coast. Founded in 2000, the Fog has the vision to be the preeminent rugby club in the world that actively pursues the participation of people of color, gay men, and other groups traditionally under-represented in rugby.
Connect with us on social media and join our mailing lists for the latest information.
Visit our About Us page to learn more about the history of the team.
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We believe everyone should have the chance to experience the camaraderie and brotherhood inherent to the sport of rugby. Players of any skill level are welcome to join, including those that have never played rugby or even an organized sport.
The club is also involved in the local community both socially and philanthropically and we welcome everyone to participate — even if you don't want to play, we're happy to have you join the Fog Family.
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The team also has a range of Fog branded clothing and gear including hoodies, shirts, bags, socks, shorts and hats.
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There is a zero tolerance policy in the club, and in our governing union, for any homophobia or transphobia on or off the pitch.
The Fog openly welcomes participation of people of color, gay men, and other groups traditionally under-represented in rugby.
Playing & Practicing
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During pre-season and the regular season, our practices are every Tuesday and Thursday nights between 8-10pm. The field location of practices can change, see our season schedule and join our mailing list to keep up to date with information.
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There are a few items you will need in order to play in a rugby match, however, many things are optional:
a mouth guard, strapless (REQUIRED)
cleats or rugby boots (REQUIRED for match play)
black rugby shorts
black soccer/knee-high socks
Black rugby shorts and black socks are part of our official match kit, and you must provide your own. We will provide you with team jerseys for match play. We sell black Canterbury shorts embroidered with the Fog Rugby crest, but any black rugby shorts will do.
A note about cleats or rugby boots: if you're just starting to play rugby, don't spend a lot on cleats. Soccer, football, or lacrosse cleats will work well, and you can likely find a decent pair for $15-30 at a store like Ross, Marshall's, or TJ Maxx.
Do not buy baseball cleats (metal-blade-style cleats); here's a guide to acceptable footwear.
You can practice in gym shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers if you like, but be aware that they will likely get damaged or torn.
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Yes you can! Everybody is welcome to our practices whether it’s to watch or train. If you’ve never played before we will teach you the basics of the game.
You can find more information about what to wear in other sections of the FAQ.
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Prospective players are more than welcome to join mid-season, we will make sure to teach you the basics needed to get started with the team.
If you start mid-season you will be invited to join the next Pathway to Rugby sessions in September.
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Like any high-impact sport, rugby carries a certain amount of risk when you walk onto the pitch. While injuries do happen, the amount or severity of injury is no different than other sports of a similar nature.
The Fog cares about the safety of the entire team – in addition to learning how to play the game safely, you have the option of purchasing additional protective gear for practice and game days.
Dues & Membership
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Your annual dues enable us to host our visiting teams during home matches, provide transportation for away matches, run practices and events, host events for our players and members, and keep the team running in a number of other ways. Dues also cover player registration at IGR Tournaments including Bingham, NorAm and Rucktacular.
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If you are unable to pay dues in full, or the cost is otherwise prohibitive for you, please get in touch with our President. The Fog is founded on inclusivity and we will make sure that, if you want to play, we have a place for you on our team.
Contact our President for any membership-related questions, or contact our Treasurer to pay dues or with payment-related questions.
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All Player members are required to register with USA Rugby's Club and Individual Participation Program (CIPP). You must register with USA Rugby as a player in order to play in any official matches or tournaments. The cost to register is $98.50, and this is not included with your annual club dues.
The CIPP is USA Rugby's third party liability insurance coverage that protects you, the team, and the club from lawsuits that may arise from accidents that occur throughout the rugby year (Sept – Aug).
If you want to be an Athletic Supporter, or you won't be playing in league matches, you do not need to register with USA Rugby.
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You must register with USA Rugby as a player in order to play in any official matches or tournaments.
To register with USA Rugby's Club and Individual Participation Program (CIPP):
Go to https://myaccount.rugbyxplorer.com.au/
Enter your email address, the platform will look for your previous profile if you had one.
- If you’ve previously played and registered with USA Rugby, the site will ask for your password to continue.
- If you haven’t registered with USA Rugby before, click on Sign Me Up! to create an account.Enter your details including name, phone number, date of birth and make sure the Rugby Region is set to USA Rugby.
The site will sent you an account activation email, confirm this to continue and login to the site.
When you have logged in, the site will show your personal info page. You can update any information here including name, address and emergency contact.
Select the register option from the menu on the left side of the screen.
Under Participate in Rugby, select Find a Club.
Select yourself and click on the Next button.
Where it asks for the club name, enter Fog. It will bring up San Francisco Fog as an option. Select it and click on the Next button.
Under role, choose “player”. Under registration type, choose “Senior Club”. Under duration, choose “season”. Then click on the Next button.
It will bring up a screen of your info. Make sure it is correct and click on the Next button.
You’ll see several screens with personal info you can update. Keep on clicking on the Next button until you reach the payment summary screen. The total should come to $98.50.
Click on the Pay button and enter your payment information.
When payment has been confirmed you will receive a receipt, our Head Coach will be notified of your registration.
If you couldn’t find an answer to your question? Please reach out to us and we’ll be happy to answer it.