ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A major international 7s tournament will be held in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area of Florida in October; over Halloween weekend, the Olympic version of rugby will be showcased in a tournament run by American Rugby 7s and Bill Edwards Presents Inc. in association with St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission and Al Lang Stadium, and is officially sacntioned by USA Rugby.

The Halloween Rugby 7s Elite Invitational will be held on October 31 and November 1, 2015 and is supported by sports event production group American Rugby 7s. The new elite international tournament will be held at 7,500-seat Al Lang Stadium and will feature eight teams playing for a $10,000 purse. Teams will include the Canada Maple Leafs and USA Falcons, United States Military Selects, NYC 7s, Denver Men’s Selects, and Columbus 7s.

“We are so excited and honored that these elite teams have accepted our invitation to play in St. Petersburg this fall. We plan to showcase the high energy and wildly entertaining sport of rugby sevens surrounded by a festival of fun and live entertainment. There will be something for everyone” said Karyne Bazzano, Founder and CEO of American Rugby 7s. “Sevens is a true fan’s sport; fast, physical, and high-scoring. The festival’s live music, contests and costumes will add to the fun!”
 
The Halloween Rugby 7s Elite Invitational will be played from 1pm to 6pm on Saturday, Oct. 31, and noon to 6pm on Sunday, Nov. 1. As part of the build-up to weekend activities, the Rugby World Cup Final in England, broadcast live on NBC, will be shown.

Compliments of St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, American Rugby 7s is also partnering to provide the live streaming broadcast of the Halloween Rugby 7s Elite Invitational on USA Rugby TV through the Eversport.tv network.  

“Eversport is excited to stream the America’s Rugby 7s’ inaugural tournament and support further the growing importance of Rugby in the USA and beyond” said Carl Kirchhoff, President of Eversport. “Rugby is a fast-paced team sport which has been performing very well on Eversport reaching fans via web, mobile and OTT.”

“It is mission critical for USA Rugby to support the accelerated growth of rugby sevens in America in any way possible,” said Nigel Melville, CEO of USA Rugby. “We are proud to sanction this elite-level tournament as not only a destination event for rugby fans across the United States, but also as a highly competitive training and scouting event for our Men’s National Sevens team. Our players need every opportunity possible to compete at an international level in preparation for the 2016 Olympics and beyond.”

American Rugby Sevens (AR7s) is a Sports & Entertainment Production Group founded by entrepreneurs and established professionals with the single-minded goal of building rugby sevens in the USA. For more information and to learn how AR7s can help you with your initiatives, please contact us at info@ar7s.us.

Bill Edwards Presents Inc. has been producing world-class attractions for more than a decade.  The company has established itself through producing shows and events in a variety of venues - including festivals, theaters, casinos-resorts, performing arts centers and arenas.  Known for its reputation of aligning with award winning talent, Bill Edwards Presents is based in St. Petersburg, Florida. www.billedwardspresents.com.