IRB Sevens World Series 2007/08 schedule announced
IRB Sevens World Series 2007/08 schedule announced
The International Rugby Board has announced the schedule for the world's leading Rugby Sevens Tournament series, the IRB Sevens World Series. Once again the record-breaking series will comprise eight Tournament locations kicking off in Dubai in late November and climaxing in Scotland in late May 2008.
The dates for the Cathay Pacific / Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2008 have been confirmed, with the event being held at the Hong Kong Stadium on March 28-30, 2008.
"Last season's IRB Sevens World Series was the most competitive to date. The destiny of the title wasn't decided until the final day of the final event when New Zealand overtook Fiji in the standings to be crowned champions," said IRB Sevens Manager, Beth Coalter.
"The series will again kick off with the Dubai and South Africa Tournaments in November and December 2007 before moving on to New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia and England. The series will climax for the second successive year in Scotland at the end of May 2008," she said.
Tournament dates:
- Dubai - November 30-December 1, 2007
- South Africa – December 7-8
- New Zealand – February 1-2, 2008
- USA – February 9-10
- Hong Kong – March 28-30
- Australia – April 5-6
- England – May 24-25
- Scotland – May 31-June 1
"The 2006/07 series was without doubt the most successful in the history of the event, setting new broadcast and attendance records, while the standard of competition on the pitch reached new levels. A total of 32 Unions participated across the eight series Tournaments while there were four different Cup winners, with Samoa securing a series Cup title for the first time," said Ms Coalter.
The 2006/07 series also saw the introduction of three new Tournament locations in Adelaide, San Diego and Edinburgh. Each proved to be successful additions garnering strong crowds, attracting widespread interest and adding to the international appeal of the series.
"The inclusion of these exciting new locations into the series proved popular and also served to foster the growing global appeal of Rugby Sevens. Each Tournament was a resounding success with over 25,500 fans attending in Adelaide while San Diego's attendance of 25,000 was a record for a USA Sevens event.
"The series climax in Edinburgh was also a huge success with the competitive action on the field backed up by an attendance of almost 30,000 over the two competition days to see New Zealand lift the title," Ms Coalter said.
Rugby Sevens' brand of fast-paced action, world class players and global locations is attractive to sports fans worldwide. Last season's IRB Sevens World Series attracted crowds in excess of 250,000, with Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 in Hong Kong attracting 120,000 supporters over the three competition days. A record crowd of 50,000 attended the final day of the Rugby Sevens Tournament at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and Rugby Sevens has also proven a popular event in the World and Asian Games sporting programme.
In an exciting development for the Game it was recently announced Rugby Sevens will also feature in the sporting programme for the Pan American Games in 2011 and re-inclusion in the All-Africa Games moved a step closer when the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa endorsed its inclusion.
IRB Sevens World Series Hits New Heights
The International Rugby Board has announced yet more record figures for the popular IRB Sevens World Series. The world's leading Rugby Sevens Tournament Series broke new ground during 2006/07 smashing previous attendance and broadcast records to confirm the Series' continued global appeal and growth.
The 2006/07 Series comprised tournaments in Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland and was the most competitive to date. It was televised by 30 international broadcasters in 11 different languages and reached 213 million homes (up 24 million on 2005/06) in 137 countries (up 1), and had a potential global cumulative reach of over 530 million (up 45 million). Live coverage increased dramatically during the season with 911 hours of action (up 72 per cent).
Backing up these record figures were yet more increased attendance figures. The eight tournament locations, including the three new series venues in Adelaide, San Diego and Edinburgh, garnered a record cumulative attendance of over 250,000. The opening three tournaments in Dubai (64,000), South Africa (25,000) and New Zealand (70,000) were sell-outs as was Hong Kong (112,000), while England reported an increased attendance (33,000). San Diego, the first of the new venues attracted 29,000 fans with Adelaide (25,000) and Edinburgh (30,000) also recording strong attendances.
"The continued growth in broadcast and attendance figures for the IRB Sevens World Series reflects the worldwide popularity of Rugby Sevens," said International Rugby Board Chairman, Dr Syd Millar. "It is a sporting spectacle, with highly competitive action, international locations and world class players proving extremely popular to both broadcasters and Rugby fans alike. With its eight tournament format, the IRB Sevens World Series is now firmly established as a key series of events on the global sporting calendar."
"The success of the IRB Sevens World Series is the underlying factor in Rugby Sevens' appeal. Attendance figures are increasing year-on-year, while standards on the pitch continue to set new standards underlining the value participating Unions place in the Series as a key player and coach development tool. Last season's series was contested by 32 Unions and was undoubtedly the most thrilling to date with the destination of the overall title not decided until the final day of the final tournament in Edinburgh when New Zealand clinched the silverware in dramatic fashion," added Dr Millar.
The IRB's worldwide production and distribution partner ProActive Television played a significant role in driving these record figures. Based in the UK, ProActive not only managed the distribution of the action on the field, but also managed the distribution of a record number of Series news stories with packages reaching over 220 million homes in more than 130 countries.
Meanwhile, the IRB has also announced that Wales has been accepted as a Series core team for the first time. Wales recorded a number of impressive performances on the way to sixth in the standings during 2006/07 and will join New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, South Africa, England, Australia, France, Scotland, Argentina, Kenya and Canada as one of the Series' 12 core teams. USA, who impressed last season, have stepped up their commitment to the Series, adding Dubai and South Africa to their roster of five Series tournaments in 2007/08.
