Sevens World Series
Sydney joins Sevens World Series circuit
ESPN Staff
June 30, 2015
Sydney 7s organisers will hope for summer sunshine at Allianz Stadium © Image courtesy Australian Rugby Union
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Sydney will host for the first time a round of the World Rugby Sevens World Series, with the inaugural Sydney 7s confirmed for February 6-7, 2016. The tournament, which replaces the Gold Coast event on the calendar, will be staged at the 45,500-capacity Allianz Stadium, the home ground of New South Wales Waratahs.

2015-2016 Sevens World Series

  • 5-6 December 2015: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • 12-13 December 2015: Cape Town, South Africa
  • 30-31 January 2016: Wellington, New Zealand
  • 6-7 February 2016: Sydney, Australia
  • 4-6 March 2016: Las Vegas, USA
  • 12-13 March 2016: Vancouver, Canada
  • 8-10 April 2016: Hong Kong
  • 16-17 April 2016: Singapore
  • 14-15 May 2016: Paris, France
  • 20-22 May 2016: London, England *TBC

Australian Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver said that 2016 would be "a bumper year for Australian rugby fans" and "there will be no better way to kick off a new season of rugby in this country".

"We have the re-vamped Super Rugby competition that will feature teams from Argentina and Japan; England touring here in June; and Rugby Sevens will make its debut at the Olympics in Rio in August. The global appeal of the game has never been stronger and we are looking forward to welcoming fans and players from 16 countries to the Sydney Sevens in the first weekend of February."

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said the Sydney 7s would be a major highlight of the Sydney Summer Events calendar as it "promises to be a fantastic experience both on and off the field".

Sydney is just one of the new host cities, with Cape Town, Vancouver, Singapore and Paris also confirmed to "expand rugby's reach around the globe".

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said Sevens was "experiencing record attendance, broadcast and commercial growth and is rapidly becoming a major driver of revenue for World Rugby to reinvest in the game".

"This schedule represents an exciting combination for World Rugby and one which we think will enable the sport to reach developing rugby markets, and therefore contribute to the continued growth of the game and its character-building values worldwide. It is great for players, great for fans and great for the ongoing prosperity and development of rugby sevens worldwide."

World Rugby said in a press release announcing the 2015-2016 series that the host cities were "determined after an extensive host selection process and the composition of the schedule has been developed with the core aim of increasing global reach, interest and engagement as rugby sevens looks to maximise the Olympic Games opportunity".

The calendar was also developed to "feature the pairing of events to maximise player recovery time".

"Other key tender considerations included player welfare and travel blocks, high performance, facilities and city support, and overall ability to contribute to the key strategic growth of the series."

The ARU said in a press release that Sydney would also "host a Festival of Sevens leading into the main event to engage local communities and leave a lasting legacy for the game in Australia's biggest city".

Fans can sign up for ticket alerts via www.sydney7s.com.au

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