Sevens fans get chance to jump on waiting list

IT MAY be seven months away, but diehard rugby sevens fans can start planning their weekend.

The waiting list for tickets on the Wellington Sevens tournament website has opened, event general manager Marty Donoghue said.

‘‘Just before the on-sale date, if you’re on the waitlist you’ll have the opportunity to get your ticket secure.

‘‘We’re working hard with Ticketek to ensure the on-sale date goes as smoothly as possible and the system can handle the overload that we usually get.’’

In a normal year, the tournament sells out within minutes, but a website glitch on the ticket release day last year on top of a higher number of seats offered for public sale meant the tournament did not sell out.

The event’s various zones – the family area, and the ‘‘Rugby Zone’’ offering last year’s attendees cushioned seats, free sunscreen and chilled water – will be combined into a new ‘‘Premier Zone’’ for the 2015 competition, to be held on February 6 and 7.

Premier ticket holders – fans ‘‘who want to live the sevens dream’’ – will get seats on the halfway line and access to the stadium’s new mezzanine lounge. As with the Rugby Zone, other perks may be included in the ticket price, but these were yet to be determined, Donoghue said.

The international circuit starting next year would be a special one, as the top four sevens teams on the ladder will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he said. A win in Wellington, especially for defending tournament champions New Zealand, would set a team up nicely for a qualifying place.

The carnival atmosphere would also be boosted by a Fan Zone on the Fran Wilde concourse outside the stadium.