Team USA Eagle 7s star Matthew “Polar Bear” Hawkins contributes weekly every Thursday, technology permitting, right here on Rugby Wrap Up. SAN DIEGO, CA – It’s 2012… Yes, we made it… I hope everyone had a safe New Year’s Eveand I wish you all the Health and Happiness for the New Year.
I have exciting news to share with you; I am starting this new year off at a new adventure that combines my love for rugby with my passion for business. I have joined forces with The King… King Serevi of Serevi Rugby.
Serevi Rugby™ was founded to drive and support a North American rugby market that is growing at a compound annual rate of 20% and that is searching for ways to capitalize on the naming of rugby sevens to the official slate of summer Olympic sports for 2016. The Economist recently featured rugby as America’s fastest growing team sport. NBC is in on the secret – it broadcast the HSBC World Cup 7’s from Las Vegas and the College Rugby Championships from Philadelphia and did the same from New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup.
Against that backdrop, Serevi relocated to Seattle and co-founded Serevi Rugby™ to develop rugby in North America and to give back to the game that afforded him so many opportunities. He’s equal parts ambassador, coach and community builder.
The business has two primary branches:
1) On field rugby development
2) Branded performance and casual apparel.
Our on field development efforts span the youth-to-elite spectrum, aiming to introduce as many kids to touch rugby as possible at one end while also training tomorrow’s Olympians via our Serevi Rugby™Academy program. To round out our services, we supplement our core branches with licensing, media (print, digital and social), speaking and endorsement opportunities.
Hopefully, that background gives you a little perspective. I have mentioned a couple times before how Rugby in the USA is poised to really rocket in to mainstream media and conversation. The biggest limiting factor is pure size. For rugby to become a true heavy weight contender we need to create a synergy between all parts.
On that note, USA Rugby has taken huge steps and 2012 will go down as the first year that USA Rugby had fully contracted Rugby players training out of an Olympic Facility on a full-time basis. This is something that has been a dream for many players that have come through the system and to see it finally starting to take shape, really brings belief that we are progressing.
The dawn of the professional era will undoubtedly bring with it great excitement, but also great expectation. I know there were a couple comments asking for more information regarding the contract situation and maybe a few more specifics, and as I said then I really could not tell, anything I had to say would have been purely speculation. But as the true blogger that I am, I will get you the story.
2012 has a lot to offer and I look forward to sharing all the experiences and opportunities with you all and look out for VEGAS 2012!!!
