Hamilton NZ Sevens home
The Hamilton Sevens have shown it’s not a ‘‘one-off wonder’’, a promoter says.
Yesterday, NZ Rugby announced a new four-year licence to host a leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series, and picked Hamilton as the venue.
However, the city may share with Fiji, as NZ Rugby is looking into the tournament alternating between the two sites.
The 2020 event – at FMG Stadium Waikato – will also include a full women’s field.
‘‘When we first came up with the idea [of hosting the Sevens in Hamilton] people said we were crazy,’’ 37 South Events managing director Dallas Fisher said.
‘‘We did it and it was fantastic. And then they all said, ‘Oh, it’s a one-year-wonder’. We’ve done it again; it was even better.’’ Fisher’s company is a copromoter of the event, which runs in Hamilton through a partnership between 37 South Events, Hamilton City Council – as owner of FMG Stadium Waikato, and NZ Rugby.
‘‘Not just NZ Rugby but World Rugby is giving us a pretty big tick,’’ he said.
It’s justification of their work over the past two years, Fisher said, and he’s added a couple to the team which takes care of the event. He’s envisaging ‘‘Sevens forever’’ but said innovation would be key – keeping fans wondering what would be new next time.
‘‘We’ve got a whiteboard at work full of ideas, and they’re all under cover at the moment.’’ One big change will be the full women’s tournament – a move part of a strategy which Fisher is excited to see come to life.
And while every second tournament could be in Fiji, it’s not yet clear how much involvement Fisher would have if that happens.
He’s made the offer to help, he said, and spent quite a bit of time with senior Fiji Rugby Union representatives who were at the 2019 Sevens.
Hamilton is happy to share tournaments with Fiji, a statement from operations director for Hamilton City Council’s events division Chad Hooker said. That’s because the Fijian team and its fans have helped make Hamilton ‘‘incredibly successful’’.
‘‘[The choice of Hamilton as a venue] is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of hundreds of professionals and volunteers, ’’ Hooker said, ‘‘along with the tens of thousands of passionate fans who have supported the event over the past two years.’’