NEW YORK, NY – Coming off its successful Inaugural Championship event in October, Premier Rugby Sevens (#PR7s) has positioned itself as the league of the future as it prepares for a nationwide launch in 2022. PR7s’ debut was a watershed moment for the sports industry, as they became the first U.S. sports league to launch with men and women earning equal pay. The league made history as the first professional women’s rugby league in North America. Supported by six league sponsors and broadcast partners at FOX Sports and TSN, PR7s announced it will formally launch in 2022 with a series of events across North America.
“Our debut in 2021 was more than just a proof of concept for rugby sevens in North America,” said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens. “Based on the feedback we received from our fans, players, and partners, our debut turned out to be the launching pad for a rocket that’s about to take off next year. This is the perfect sport at the perfect time. We will expand our touring model to multiple North American cities, widen our broadcast reach, create new and exciting ways to engage fans through gaming, and offer innovative, custom content and activations for new partners. We have a shortlist of cities and dates for 2022 and will be finalizing our schedule in the coming weeks.”
The Fox Sports telecasts of the PR7s Inaugural Championship attracted a cumulative audience of 472,000 viewers across FS1 and FS2 in the US, with additional live viewing on TSN3 in Canada and Facebook outside of North America. Other key indicators of success include:
- Total social media impressions: 5.7 million
- Total social media engagement: 177,000+
- Instagram engagement rate: 7.05% (vs industry average of 1.79% for sports teams)
- Matchday web traffic increase: 398%
- Matchday all-platform audience growth: 32%
As the league continues to grow, PR7s announced they have started a search to expand and scale their league, including a search for specialists in marketing, finance, HR, on-field talent scouting, and partnership development. Job seekers can apply at https://prsevens.com/careers/.
About Premier Rugby Sevens
Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) is a groundbreaking professional sports league in North America that debuted on Oct. 9, 2021, on Fox Sports and TSN. PR7s is the first league of its kind with both women’s teams and men’s teams under one umbrella with equal pay. With a focus on accessibility and entertaining content for fans, the league will showcase the electrifying sport of rugby sevens through a single-day touring format in cities across the United States and Canada. To learn more about Premier Rugby Sevens, go to PRSevens.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
