Rugby’s Global Eyes Turn Back To The States

Last autumn over 60,000 fans packed Chicago’s Soldier Field for an event that many around the globe would have thought was impossible; rugby. And while the attraction may have been more the opponent (the USA took on the All Blacks, making the rarest of rare appearances in the United States), the pageantry, the knowledge and passion for the game, along with the sponsor activation and its broadcast numbers, showed that the game itself was more than an anomaly. It was a true sign of what many had been whispering for some time, that rugby, at least from the grassroots side, is catching hold in the U.S.

Recent studies showed that both among active girls and among team sports, rugby has either passed or is close to passing the other hot North American property, lacrosse, in growth as well. While the numbers are still nowhere near soccer, baseball, football or basketball, growth is still growth, and with inclusion in the 2016 Rio Olympics now a reality, rugby, at least rugby 7s vs. the traditional 15s, is on the sports business radar in the U.S. for the first time since the 1920s 

The biggest annual rugby event in the States is coming next week, and it will serve as a great test to see how far the host country has come in 7s. The Eagles have played themselves into very serious contention for a 2016 berth in the Games, led by speedster Carlin Isles, and with that berth will come even more attention and brand value for rugby as it grows across the US.

The HSBC Sevens World Series will make its North American stop at USA Sevens — the largest rugby tournament in North America  from February 12 – 14, 2015, and will again be played alongside the Las Vegas Invitational, the premier amateur rugby event in the United States, featuring athletes and match-ups across a wide-range of rugby divisions and age groups.

More than 70,000 fans, expected to top last year’s numbers, will fill Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium for the 16 nations’ seven-man event for three days, an amazing jump from the 24,000 attendees at the inaugural event just five years ago. The event is expected to bring over $30 million into the local economy, ranking it amongst the biggest weekends for any event that Las Vegas has. NBC Sports, which set records for this past Sunday’s Super Bowl, is also a vested partner in the event, televising live domestically and via feed to 142 countries with an expected audience of over 330 million people.

The promoters of the weekend are New York-based United World Sports, who have also created two of the biggest college-level rugby events that have been key to the sports growth, the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup (for 15s) and the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship for 7’s. that event, held in Philadelphia in May, has become a big reason who collegiate rugby now has more than 300 schools now participating, with the best of the best feeding into the USA Rugby developmental program which will continue to lift the sport.

We asked Jonathan First, the CEO of United World Sports, some questions on the as Las Vegas event and where the sport is on the radar in the US both now, and where it may be soon:

What has been the biggest factor in the growth of the Las Vegas event?

The biggest factors have really been the growth of the sport on all levels, in both participation from the grassroots level and the casual fan base (the NBC live broadcasts have a lot to do with this), along with the inclusion in the Olympics starting in Rio in 2016.

We also selected the right location at the right time of year. Las Vegas is an iconic and exciting destination. Many rugby fans want to visit Las Vegas and with the Rugby 7s as a focal point, the reason to go is fulfilled. It has become one of the biggest revenue-driving events in a city known for big events, and we are really just tapping the potential this will have going forward. Sponsors have seen the level rise, the community has embraced it, and globally it has become a destination because you have a great time and see some amazing rugby, especially with the potential of Olympic qualifying in place.

Which brands do the best job of activating in and around the event in Las Vegas?

We have been able to bring in brands who want to be engaged in the sport and see the potential globally. That makes us a great test case for what a company can do in rugby if they engage in Las Vegas and then look to expand from there. We also present a pretty wide open platform, so buying air time isn’t all that you get. We tailor that partnerships to their needs and as a result build on those partnerships every year. The brands that are best in activating in and around Las Vegas for the Vegas 7s are Subway, Pepsi, DHL and MGM Resorts, all of whom see the opportunity to engage with the fans on site and through the digital and broadcast space. The loyalty of our fans is NASCAR-like, and it is growing pretty quickly.

You have seen a big growth in rugby, both 15s and 7s on the collegiate side, where has the sport really taken hold?

Regionally the San Francisco Bay Area is very strong, and you now see growth and a quality of play that has risen amongst Big 10 and ACC schools in the Midwest and the south, and across the Ivy League. It is no longer just a club sport in many places, as the dollars and the commitment for excellence has risen because of the grassroots engagement at the high school and club level. More colleges are seeing the value of having a quality rugby program run by students in a professional manner, and the interest level is rising very quickly.

A lot of that growth has also been as the 7s since the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship has really given the most visibility and traction to rugby on campuses. Furthermore, those college kids who played in the 1980s and ’90s are now successful people and are giving back to their colleges to improve/grow the college game.

With our new title sponsor, Penn Mutual, we expect this growth to accelerate, especially because 7s rugby is fast and athletic and really fits the lifestyle and the interest of millennials. There is no other emerging sport on national broadcast television (in the US) outside of rugby 7s, through our great partners at NBC. And again the inclusion in the Olympics of Rugby 7s is a big factor in this. The 15s game is steady and growing as well, but it is 7s where the more significant growth is.

You have NBC as a television partner for the event, how valuable has their support been for this event?

Invaluable. NBC gives us amazing credibility not just in the global rugby community, but also for brands and casual fans. We would not be where we are as event promoters and evangelists of the game without NBC. They have been the “X” factor in our business and the growth of the game. They devote their finest production teams and promote throughout all their sports programming. They are truly a great partner and believe in the sport.

The All Blacks made a big splash when they played in Chicago, have you seen any crossover, either with fans or brands, to the Las Vegas event?

I am not sure on crossover as there will be some because of the success of that match,  but without a doubt the avid rugby fan will attend Las Vegas. The Chicago event with the All Blacks was great for the promotion of the game in the US. We get a tremendous amount of the fans that attended that game and our Vegas 7s sales are consistent with this fan base. The All Blacks game attracted a lot of All Blacks fans from an ex pat prospective as well as a rugby fan prospective and we attract these fans to Las Vegas as well.

Do you think other elite clubs could have an impact if they came to the States for matches like the All-Blacks did, and if so who would they be?

I personally do not think that any other team internationally has the same mystique or draw for that matter, but that being said, this doesn’t mean that a Spring Boks team or an elite English club wouldn’t command a very large crowd in some markets. What the All Blacks match did was really a perfect storm; good promotion, the right weekend, NBC as a partner and an elite brand with a global fan base that had not been here in some time. There have been some folks that say that other clubs could do just as well because they see the increased interest in soccer friendlies and the crowds they draw, but rugby is still years behind soccer in this country. It is growing but it is not at that level to consistently fill stadia on the professional level yet. 

Keep in mind many people seem to think soccer’s growth happened overnight. They forget how much the sport struggled here for decades, and MLS’s steady growth was a bug factor in that grassroots growth. In the States there is no professional rugby league yet to help fuel that growth, and such a league would take a big investment. Maybe that will come soon, and I think our events could help stir that pot, but right now the professional casual interest in rugby is still lagging when you are talking about drawing thousands of people like we are able to do in Las Vegas and Philadelphia and Salt Lake City (for The Varsity Cup).

What is the biggest factor that rugby needs to embrace if it is to grow in the mainstream in the US?

Athletes that the general population can identify with are important. We saw a great story on how the Severi Rugby program from Seattle worked with the Seahawks, and how the Patriots Nate Ebner came from a rugby background, so that helps tell the story of the sport to a wider audience. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles played rugby at Arizona and has been supportive, so that also helps. We think that crossover of great American athletes will continue to grow, much like it did in soccer, and we think there will be elite players, especially in football, who may give rugby a shot while in their prime. That will be a big help.

Rugby also needs to grow at the youth levels in the elementary, middle and high schools akin to how soccer became a success in the US. This will take time, but rugby is the fastest growing sport in the US, so perhaps it won’t take as long as it did for soccer to become a mainstream sport here. The sport also needs to embrace a local, regional and national education and awareness platform for people in the US, kids and parents in particular, to understand the game and come to realise it is a much safer, much more fluid, much less expensive  and much easier to play game than football. There needs to be an alternative game to football for both boys and girls to play than soccer. It is the second biggest team sport worldwide and it is only a matter of time for the US to catch up here, it is increasingly becoming a mantra of awareness, and we think our efforts along with others will help that.

If you looked ahead for this event past 2016 and an Olympic year, where do you see the biggest areas for growth?

The execution of a pro 7s rugby league in the US and Canada is something that may become a possibility as interest and funding grows.  The biggest areas for growth will come from the collegiate level of play. The path to the Olympics along with professional opportunities (leagues are currently being planned for the US, including a Super 7s form of the game which NBC is supporting) will give players an upside and attract a lot of talent.