• USA Rugby to host opening leg of HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, 20-21 October 2018
• HSBC USA Women’s Sevens tournament will be held at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado
• HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series increases to six rounds beginning next season
DUBLIN, IRE – World Rugby today announced USA Rugby will host the opening round of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series next season in Glendale, Colorado.
The announcement of this new addition brings the number of rounds on the women’s series to six, guaranteeing more competitive playing opportunities for series participants on their route to qualification for the 2020 Olympics.
The new HSBC USA Women’s sevens round kicks off on 20-21 October, followed by existing rounds Dubai, Sydney, Kitakyushu, Langford and Paris.
The tournament will be held at Infinity Park, the state-of-the-art 4,000 seat stadium in the heart of Glendale, Colorado’s rugby epicenter and premier setting for rugby in the USA.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont today said, “We are delighted to be expanding the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series next season, creating and delivering more high-performance quality competitions for participating teams, which is a key strandof the wider Women’s Plan 2017-25.
“Rugby sevens has played an important role in the growth and development of the women’s game. The outstanding success of the women’s sevens competition at Rio 2016, delivered a huge boost globally in terms of participation, profile and engagement. In recent times we have seen the world series continue to win new fans and inspire players worldwide with its mix of impressive skill, high-octane rugby and exciting atmosphere.”
“We are thrilled to have a HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series stop return to the United States next season,” said USA Rugby General Manager of Women’s High Performance, Emilie Bydwell, “With the considerable growth of women’s rugby, having a home tournament provides an access point for the community with our Women’s Eagles Sevens. Glendale is an incredible venue and the opportunity to kick off an Olympic Qualification Season at home in front of our athletes’ family, friends and fans is amazing. Subsequently, followed up by the Women’s Eagles home match against the Black Ferns just two weeks later, demonstrates commitment to driving the Women’s game forward in this country.”
Otherwise known as RugbyTown USA, Infinity Park is nestled within a community that has seen the rise of rugby first-hand. With year-round events hosted across club, college and professional programs, including all home games for the Glendale Raptors of the newly formed Major League Rugby, and Glendale Merlins of the Women’s Premier League, the stadium encapsulates the increasing excitement for the sport, making it a prime location to further catapult the growth of the women’s game.
Glendale Mayor, Mike Dunafon, added, ““We are honored to have been chosen as the venue to host the HSBC USA Women’s Sevens tournament; and look forward to welcoming the athletes, families, and fans to RugbyTown USA.”
2018 is set to be an exciting year for rugby sevens with the Rugby World Cup Sevens taking place in San Francisco 20-22 July, providing further opportunity to inspire and engage new participants and fans in the USA and around the world. The tournament promises to be a spectacular event, with three days of thrilling action in the iconic AT&T Park.
A full schedule for the upcoming HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series 2019 will be announced following the conclusion of the 2018 series which comes to an exciting climax this weekend, with the final round of both the women’s and men’s series taking place in Paris. Tickets to the Glendale event will also soon be released.
Notes to Editors:
About World Rugby
World Rugby is committed to the global advancement of rugby and its character-building values to build a better, stronger game for all. The global rugby community comprises 9.1 million players and 338 million fans affiliated via 121 national member unions in six regions and driven by the commercial success of Rugby World Cup, World Rugby is investing GBP £266 million at all levels of the game between 2016 and 2019, eclipsing the previous four-year cycle by 38 per cent, to ensure strong and sustainable growth. www.worldrugby.org
About USA Rugby
Established in 1975, USA Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby in America and a Full Sport Member of the United States Olympic Committee. Currently headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, USA Rugby is charged with developing the game on all levels and has more than 120,000 active members, with more than 40,000 playing collegiate rugby and 35,000 playing senior club rugby. USA Rugby oversees four national teams, multiple collegiate and high school All-American sides, and an emerging Olympic development pathway for elite athletes. It also hosts more than 30 national playoff and championship events each year as a service to its members. In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee announced Rugby Sevens (the seven-a-side version of the game) would appear in the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, in which both the men and women qualified. Visit www.usarugby.org for more information.
About RugbyTown USA
Year after year, hundreds of rugby teams from across the world make RugbyTown USA their destination. Celebrating more than a decade as the epicenter of American rugby, the vision of Glendale, Colorado city leaders has earned the title of RugbyTown USA. Infinity Park, the first rugby-specific stadium in the country, is more than a boon for Colorado’s rugby fans, players, and coaches: it’s a leader for the sport’s national and international community.
