A new rugby 7s competition is being launched for this summer.
Rugby fans will remember that a certain Bill Tatham has been paying USA Rugby a licensing fee for a 7s event for many years now. The event has had many different blueprints and chased many different ideas, has not actually been help ... but this year it appears very much that this new idea will take the field.
The World Rugby Football League will start with the New York City Sevens held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. Teams will play for prize money, with prize money for specific wins and for a tournament win—the purse is $1 million.
Nations projected to participate at NYC Sevens include New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, Fiji, Ireland, Kenya, and the USA, with sanctioning by USA Rugby.
Investors are reportedly on board, with major money already put up (as we understand it, the venue has already been paid and the prize money is already in an escrow account). Messages coming to GRR indicates this is a serious effort to produce an international 7s tournament in the middle of the summer, serving as warmup for teams looking to the 2023-24 Sevens World Series season, or Olympic qualification tournaments, or both.
New York City will be the feature host city of this tournament, looking to attract fans to the location as well as the rugby.
"NYC Sevens is not just fast-paced, hard-hitting rugby that features the best teams in the world; it’s an all-day festival showcasing the energy and passion of international rugby sevens through music and sport," said Rob Cornelius, President of 44FiftyFive Sports & Entertainment and Head of Operations for NYC Sevens, speaking in the NYC Sevens launch announcement. "As a leading promoter of the Las Vegas USA Sevens, the most successful rugby sevens event in the United States, we are excited to be a part of The World RFL’s premiere kick-off event by introducing Olympic-caliber rugby sevens to New York City.”
