International Rugby Sevens opportunity for Bay

MEDIA RELEASE – for immediate distribution

18 November 2013

International Rugby Sevens opportunity for Bay

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, working in conjunction with the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, has been awarded $45,000 by Education New Zealand to develop a Rugby Sevens Study Abroad programme targeted at college students in the United States.

The Bay of Plenty region is acknowledged as the ‘home’ of rugby sevens in New Zealand with the Bay also home to Gordon Tietjens, All Black Sevens Rugby Team coach, and Sean Horan, New Zealand Women’s Sevens Team coach.  The Bay of Plenty has also secured the hosting rights for the prestigious National Sevens tournament in 2014 and 2015.

The new programme will enable US College students to complete a semester of study at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic in courses that can be credited back to their US degree, whilst having the opportunity to undertake an internationally recognised high performance rugby sevens training programme.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Bay of Plenty to host a unique experience for overseas student sportsmen and sportswomen,” said Dr Alan Hampton, Polytechnic Chief Executive. “The initiative also connects to the region’s education and sports strategies and will provide both economic and social benefits for the Bay.”

Mike Rogers, Chief Executive, Bay of Plenty Rugby Football Union, is thrilled with the opportunity to get the Bay of Plenty onto the world stage. “We anticipate the first students to embark on the programme will start in July 2014 and we look forward to showing our international guests all the best the Bay has to offer.”

Worldwide recognition and interest in the sport, especially in the United States, has increased exponentially since it was announced that Rugby Sevens would be in included in the 2016 Olympics. It was also recently announced that the Rugby Sevens World Cup 2018 will be held in Moscow, Russia, helping to further build the increasingly global audience and driving up interest and participation.

ENDS

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