Huge boost set for USA Rugby Sevens

Los Angeles Home Depot Center confirmed to host Sevens Events

With rugby returning to the Olympic Games the rumours have constantly been suggesting that big changes will occur for global rugby with the USA set to be one of the biggest winners. The rumours have been varied and perhaps the most interesting being said is the possible creation of of a professional Rugby Sevens circuit in the United States. The possibility of this taking place appears to be far stronger than a mere rumour and the potential of it, indeed, being realized has increased significantly following the announcement earlier this week that Grand Prix Entertainment Inc will, in partnership with USA Rugby, be the exclusive US broadcast partner for Grand Prix´s 2003 professional Sevens Championships in July.

Grand Prix Entertainment, Inc is a sports and entertainment company with its headquarters being in Los Angeles, California. The company is set to be involved with wholesale changes to the state of rugby in the United States with a massive influx of money set to possibly see the sport grow extensively in the country.  The Grand Prix network will shortly announce a set of events which it will produce in conjunction with USA Rugby. One change has already been confirmed with with Los Angeles´ Home Depot Center already having been confirmed as a venue to host a global Rugby Sevens event. 

The CEO of USA Rugby, Nigel Melville welcomed the announcement and was quoted on the official site of USA Rugby as saying “When I came to the U.S. five years ago I believed Rugby could become a major U.S. professional sport. Olympic inclusion and now a broadcast partner in NFL Network takes USA Rugby and our partners at Grand Prix all that much closer to the dream.”.

For further information see the official announcement on USA Rugby here

La Plata to host a leg of IRB World Sevens Series

The Estádio Ciudad de La Plata, located in the capital of Buenos Aires province, La Plata is proving to be the unofficial new home of Argentine rugby. The stadium will host Argentina´s home international vs the All Blacks this year and according to key sources the venue will host a leg of the IRB World Sevens Series starting in 2013. With a capacity of 53,000 and state of the art facilities the venue is fast becoming Argentina´s premier stadium and doing so while Buenos Aires is going without matches. Thir is true in soccer as much as rugby as it hosted the final of the 2011 Copa America. 

At a conference in Buenos Aires yesterday organized by Agustín Pichot it became clear that the IRB has confirmed and will soon make it official that La Plata will host a leg of the IRB World Sevens Series in 2013.  It is a part of the extension which is underway that will see Tokyo host a leg this coming weekend. The inclusion of La Plata means that now every continent will now host at least one leg. The IRB´s region of the Americas will have two with Las Vegas, Nevada hosting the other. The new stadium in La Plata has, therefore, been favored over the option of Mar del Plata which has made an official bid for the event.

Amongst other details to emerge from the conference was the UAR´s push for an Argentine team to enter Super Rugby. The idea being for Los Pampas XV, reinforced with star players based in Europe, to play Super Rugby. The IRB has been wanting Argentina to creaet a domestic professional competition, somehting that Pichot says Argentina is not suited to. For the time being, at least, it would not be likely to be the best path to take.