The Australian Rugby Union today announced the five additional sites that will roll out the new non-contact version of Rugby Sevens across regional New South Wales – an initiative to encourage more people to take up the game and capitalise on its profile as an Olympic sport.
Members of Australia’s Men’s and Women’s Sevens Squad joined MPs from the NSW Government in announcing Non-Contact Sevens sites in Queanbeyan, Armidale, Wollongong, the Central Coast and Forster/Tuncurry, taking the amount of towns that will host this new Rugby offering in the State to 10. Non-Contact Sevens competitions will be rolled out across these sites from February 2015, with each site to be amongst the first in the country to experience the ARU’s new non-contact offering and match experience.
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens player Lewis Holland, from Queanbeyan, NSW, said: “The launch of Non-Contact Sevens in these areas is very exciting for the game. Non-Contact Sevens gives an opportunity for players of all standards – whether you just want a run-around or want to take things a little more seriously – to play.
“We trialled the game at our training headquarters in Narrabeen a couple of months ago and it was fast and furious. Most importantly, however, it was loads of fun!”
Last month, it was announced that the New South Wales Government will invest $100,000 in Non-Contact Sevens across the state, with Dubbo, Tamworth, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour and Orange revealed as locations for the game.
The investment made by the NSW Government will be spent on infrastructure, event administration, equipment and education and is part of a broader objective to increase participation in sport, recreation, arts and cultural activities in rural and regional NSW from 2010 to 2016 by 10 per cent.
Rugby Sevens is a game with seven players on each side playing seven minutes a half on a full-sized Rugby pitch. The sport is to be played at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio for the first time. The non-contact version of Sevens can be played year-round and encourages fast running Rugby with a heavy focus on fitness.
Exact locations of the 10 sites will be announced in due course.
The public can register their interest in taking part in non-contact Sevens by visiting: http://www.rugby.com.au/sevens/NonContact.
Q. What is non-contact Sevens?
Emphasis on flexible competition, fun, social and fitness as opposed to just win or loss
7 players on the field per team, mixed and single sex team options
1-handed touch
7 touches allowed per set
Allows continuity for the game, option to offload and kick
Lineouts incorporated in the game
A team could play two matches per night
