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In 1980, an ad was placed in the Village Voice looking for gay men interested in playing soccer in an area of Central Park known as the Ramble. This was the birth of the New York Ramblers, the world’s first organized openly gay soccer club. The club provided a safe space for Ramblers with a mutual interest and love of soccer to meet and socialize outside of the traditional settings of bars and clubs.
Since the inception of the club, the mission of the Ramblers remains largely unchanged: to provide a comfortable and fun atmosphere for all people to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of soccer, regardless of skill level, sexual orientation, gender, race or religion; to break down stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people in sports; and to forge new friendships as part of an ongoing Ramblers family.
The New York Ramblers Soccer Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.
