Who are we?

The Transmanian Devils are the first UK-based trans-specific rugby team. Set up by seven founding members in March 2023, we have quickly established ourselves as a notable team within International Gay Rugby (IGR). We have hosted and attended a variety of touch and contact matches and training sessions over the last two years, and have gained over 60 members. 

Our mission is to create a community for transgender and non-binary people, fostering a space for shared joy and empowerment. We also strive to break down the barriers to participating in sport, focusing on rugby. 

Why are we crowdfunding?

The Transmanian Devils are a barbarian team, which means we are made up of players from teams across the UK, as well as some associated players internationally. We attend various tournaments throughout the UK, and host regional training events in collaboration with local IGR teams. 

Money has been a consistent barrier for our players to engage with rugby events. Many transgender and non-binary people come from low-income backgrounds, so the costs of travel, accommodation and entry fees mean that they cannot attend our events. 

We want to set up a Hardship Fund to support our financially insecure players to get into rugby. Everyone deserves access to a safe space in sport, and money is one barrier that we want to remove for our Devils.

How we’ll spend the money raised

All money raised for the Hardship Fund will be set aside to help transgender and non-binary people access rugby training, matches, and tournaments that the Transmanian Devils organise or attend as a team. We would also like to help players buy kit for ongoing use, such as boots, mouthguards, and scrum caps, but also "basic" sports clothes that most of us overlook, like shorts, t shirts and sports bras. 

Our goal is to raise £2000 in time for our 3rd Annual Bootcamp in at the end of summer 2025. With this much money, we could help up to 40 people access safe beginner-friendly rugby training with their trans and non-binary peers - that's two XV teams with subs! 

Community impact

The Transmanian Devils were set up in protest of the RFU's gender participation policy, which prohibits transgender women and non-binary people assigned male at birth from playing rugby with cisgender women. 

Grassroots sports teams are a fantastic way to make friends, and improve physical and mental health. Supporting trans and non-binary players to access sports could make a huge difference to a community who are at high risk of discrimination and bullying, and social isolation. 

Trans people belong in sports. 

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!