Ticket Sale Dates Announced for Canada Sevens Vancouver 2016
VANCOUVER (June 10, 2015) – Rugby sevens, the fastest growing spectator sport in North America, is set to descend upon Vancouver, Canada March 2016, where the world’s best will compete for points in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Canada Sevens organizers announced today tournament passes will go on sale Tuesday, September 8, and single-day tickets will be available November 17. With BC Place suites being snapped up in less than 24 hours last week, the organizing committee anticipates a strong turnout when Ticketmaster goes live with sales in September.
“The Vancouver market is ripe for this type of entertainment,” said Canada Sevens CEO, Bill Cooper. “Sevens rugby is exciting, dynamic and wildly entertaining and the tournament brings with it a festival atmosphere enriched by exceptional athletes, passionate fans and the energy of 16 nations. It is a complete live sport experience. Expect 45 high-scoring games, surprising upsets, fans in crazy costumes, an incredible sound track, a world-class venue at BC Place Stadium and a warm host city embrace. We are confident that once they absorb it, Vancouverites, British Columbians and Canadians alike will fall in love with this spectacle and be proud to have it marked down as a must-attend highlight on their calendar each year.”
“We received incredible early interest in tickets and suites, so we know there is a lot of demand,” added Cooper. “While traditional suites are already spoken for, we look forward to introducing many other premium options and are confident there is something for everyone, from high-end club seats, to field-side loge seats, to general admission.”
Sevens rugby is distinctly different from traditional fifteen-a-side rugby – with games lasting only fourteen minutes and the field covered by less than half as many athletes, anything can happen in each lightening quick bout. Touted as one of the most exciting new sports on the market, rugby sevens is set to debut on the Olympic schedule in Rio 2016. As the format is spectator friendly, easy to understand and an attractive broadcast product, World Rugby and international sponsors are investing heavily in the sport.
“It is an incredible honour for Canada to be selected to host an event of this scale, and we are working in close partnership with World Rugby, Rugby Canada, the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association and our home venue BC Place Stadium to build an event that summons the energy Vancouver displayed during the 2010 Games,” said newly appointed Tournament Director, Jamie Levchuk. “With our city’s desire to connect and celebrate together, and the unique international flair demonstrated worldwide at tournaments like the Hong Kong Sevens and Dubai Sevens we are confident this event will be 48 hours of world class sport paired with world class fun.”
World Rugby is expected to announce the full ten-stop tour schedule for the 2015-16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series soon, in anticipation of the season kick off in October 2015.
Six nations have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to-date, including top four finishers from the 2014-15 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain. Team Canada is set to compete this weekend at the North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Regional Olympic Qualification tournament held in Cary, North Carolina June 13-14. While the winner of the tournament earns a ticket to Rio 2016, the Olympic journey doesn’t stop there, as teams will have a third and final opportunity to qualify in a repechage next summer.
To catch a glimpse of these Olympic hopefuls on home turf, fans are encouraged to secure their spot on the list at canadasevens.com, with the first 5,000 registered receiving an exclusive early bird ticket purchase window. Exclusive accommodation and ticket packages will also be available at bevancouver.com, courtesy of Canada Sevens partner the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association. Tournament passes go on sale Tuesday, September 8, 2015 on Ticketmaster.ca for the inaugural Canada Sevens event set for March, 2016.
ABOUT CANADA SEVENS
As a member of the men’s and women’s World Rugby Sevens Series, Canada Sevens is proud to host the world’s best rugby sevens nations annually in a celebration of sport and culture. Thrilling action and feats of athleticism paired with the festival atmosphere the Sevens Series is famous for worldwide, make for a fan experience not to be missed. The World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series is showcased at Westhills Stadium in Langford, British Columbia in April each year beginning in 2015, and the men’s World Rugby Sevens Series is set to descend upon BC Place Stadium in Vancouver beginning in March 2016. For more information, please visit canadasevens.com.
ABOUT HSBC WORLD RUGBY SEVENS SERIES
Rugby Sevens continues to grow in popularity and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series has developed extensively since its formation in 1999. Such growth and global development was underlined by the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, and as a result the 2015-16 season will see increased coverage and promotion of Rugby Sevens ahead of its Olympic debut.
The Sevens Series, previously known as the IRB Sevens World Series, consists of ten tournaments held around the world, in which national Sevens teams compete for Series points at each round, with winners in the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield crowned at each location.
An overall Sevens Series champion is crowned at the end of the season based on points accumulated throughout the nine events.
There are 15 ‘core’ teams who participate at each round of the Series. Since the 2012-13 season promotion and relegation from this ever-present status came into effect, giving each team competing in regional competition a direct opportunity to qualify to compete regularly at the highest level.
For more, please visit worldrugby.org/sevens-series.
ABOUT RUGBY CANADA
Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Football has a long history in Canada dating back to its initial appearance in the 1860s. Since 1974, Rugby Canada has been a permanent fixture on the global rugby scene, including trips to each of the seven International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby World Cups (1987 - Australia/New Zealand, 1991 – United Kingdom, 1995 – South Africa, 1999 –Wales, 2003 - Australia, 2007 - France, and 2011 - New Zealand). As a regular on the IRB Sevens Circuit, Canada continues to climb the world rankings and challenge the dominant rugby nations in both versions of the game.
To support the growth of rugby at the grass-roots level and to ensure there are elite programs for prospering young rugby players to become involved with, Rugby Canada has put an emphasis on developing its junior programs. Currently, Rugby Canada offers Men’s and Women’s National Programs at various age levels including Under 17, Under 19 and Under 20. Providing the opportunity for Canada’s players to compete on the international stage, in various age categories and for both men and women, has allowed Rugby Canada to become a world leader in the development of Junior Rugby.
Today, the game of rugby in Canada is well represented in all ten provincial unions and is played by over 20,000 Canadian girls and boys, men and women. For more, please visit rugbycanada.ca.