Andy Tsui, captain of the Birmingham Bulls LGBTQ+ rugby team, has been honoured with the Rugby Writers Community Tankard Award for Lifetime Achievement in Rugby at a packed ceremony at London’s Oval.
The award is among the most respected prizes in UK rugby, and Andy’s win recognises his work and the wider work of all the Birmingham Bulls committee to promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the sport. In particular, the award recognises Andy and the club’s key role in the delivery of the 2023 IGR Union Cup, a tournament hosted exclusively for LGBTQ+ inclusive rugby teams in the UK and Europe and which has prompted a huge increase in participation and interest in rugby amongst Birmingham’s LGBTQ community.
Andy Tsui said: “This award is down to every Bull whether past, present or future that has taken the club to where it is now. And, even more so, to all of the volunteers and committee members past and present that keep it all running, so, this award isn’t just for me. It’s for you.”
Andy’s contribution has been pivotal in the hosting of the Union Cup, the UK and Europe’s largest gay rugby tournament. The 2023 festival of rugby hosted in Birmingham featured both men’s and women’s programmes, with more than 46 teams and 1,400 players from 18 countries all competing for the coveted winner’s trophy.
The inclusive tournament’s success has seen record number’s of the LGVTQ community attend beginner and training sessions at the club’s new home at Yardley and District Rugby Club with the club organising a dedicated taster day aimed for novices on Saturday, July 1 and popular Touch Rugby tournament, Touch My Brum, on Saturday, July 15.
BT Sport’s Ali Eykyn introduced Andy as the winner to the audience of household names, including Ugo Monye, Steve Hanson, Steve Borthwick, Kevin Sinfield, Jason Leonard and Lawrence Dallaglio.
Ali said: “Andy Tsui was a member of the LGBTQ+ community with a love of rugby, but felt he wanted to promote the sport within the inclusive community.
“A chance meeting with three like-minded individuals, James Anthony, David Cumpston and Martin Farrow, together with the success story of Kings Cross Steelers, led to the germ of an idea of an inclusive club in Birmingham – the Birmingham Bulls – now one of the top five inclusive clubs globally.
“Founded in 2011, Andy has been the guiding force for the club – playing over 432 matches, scoring 144 tries as either a hooker or back row, and overseeing the move of the club from casual social rugby to a completely unbeaten league run in the West Mids Merit League 1.
“The rise of the Bulls is down to many people, underlining the breathtaking momentum of inclusion in sport. In accepting this award Andy wants to make it clear this is for all of the players and supporters that have made this journey possible.”
To find out more about the Birmingham Bulls’ upcoming training sessions, and the Touch My Brum tournament, CLICK HERE