ATLANTA (press release)– Sanctioned by USA Rugby and its Collegiate Council, the National Collegiate Championships Rugby 7s (NCCR7s) will serve as the official national championship tournament event for both men’s and women’s collegiate 7s.

NCCR7s will be broadcast live on NBC and CNBC, with additional coverage streamed on Peacock.

“We are thrilled to add to our Rugby programming with the National Collegiate Championships tournament, an expansion on our past successful collegiate events that we built at NBC,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports Group. “NCCR7s will showcase the excitement around what is one of the fastest growing youth participant sports in the U.S. We are honored to play a crucial role in satiating the rabid Rugby 7s fan base in the United States while also introducing this exhilarating sport to a whole new generation of fans and players.”

The inaugural NCCR7s tournament will be hosted at Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) Fifth Third Bank Stadium from May 14 through 15, 2022 and feature the top teams in the country, both men’s and women’s teams, across 3 divisions each, as well as varsity women’s teams that are members of the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA).

“Collegiate sports are a primary resource and crucial pathway for both the Men's and Women's USA Olympic rugby teams,” said Ross Young, USA Rugby CEO. “Amplifying and developing the collegiate sports structure is uniquely American and we're thrilled for this event to drive the growth of rugby sevens. Building this event and ensuring the quality and scope of NCCR7s will make sure American student-athletes have a platform to begin the journey to the biggest stage of all.”

NCCR7s will follow the Olympic format of seven players per side and seven minutes per half, showcasing the high scoring and fast-paced nature of the sport. Men’s and women’s teams will make up the tournament fields, whose champions will be crowned following an electrifying slate of more than 100 matches over two days.

“The fanfare around collegiate sport is uniquely American, and NCCR7s will take advantage of this to deliver an unforgettable experience for guests and players alike,” said Dan Lyle, Director of AEG Rugby. “NCCR7s will be the premier domestic event of the rugby season, inspiring youth and high school players, setting an aspirational target for collegiate student-athletes, and strengthening U.S. national teams on their journey to Paris 2024 and back home for LA28”

Group ticket and team package presales for NCCR7s are now live. For ticket inquiries please email info@nccrugby.com or call (404) 389-9106. Individual tickets will be available to the public starting in January 2022.

More details on the NCCR7s tournament to follow in a virtual up front information session hosted by the event organizers. For more information, please follow on social media @NCCRugby7s. 

AEG, National Rugby 7s LLC (NR7s), and The Aspire Group (Aspire), partnered to create NCCR7s.

About AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world's leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments: Facilities, which through its affiliation with ASM Global, owns, manages, or consults with more than 300 preeminent arenas, stadiums, convention centers, and performing arts venues around the world; Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music, and special events, and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like Crypto.com Arena and L.A. LIVE, Mercedes Platz in Berlin, and The O2 in London; Sports, as the world's largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy, and Eisbären Berlin; and Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating, and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 160 million guests annually. 

More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

About National Rugby 7s (NR7s)/The Aspire Group

NR7s is an Atlanta-based organization whose mission is to elevate the status of Rugby 7s in America through events like NCCR7s. NR7s is owned and operated by real estate executives David Branch and Armand Vari as well as Bernie Mullin and The Aspire Group, an award-winning  sports and entertainment marketing firm that is globally recognized for innovative ticket and sponsorship sales, consulting, and research services. Aspire created the outsourced ticket sales niche, revolutionizing intercollegiate athletics with the first Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) at Georgia Tech in 2009. Over the past twelve years, more than 280 collegiate and professional sports properties have trusted Aspire to drive revenue, attendance, and enterprise-value growth through the combination of marketing, strategic consulting, and research services and best-in-industry fan relationship management.

For more information about The Aspire Group visit: www.theaspiregroupinc.com and follow us on Twitter @theaspire_group