Rugby Canada received a boost from the province Tuesday, as preparations continue to host the 2017 HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens rugby tournament next month in Langford.
Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, announced a $130,000 provincial investment into the event, which runs Mat 27 and 28 at Westhills Stadium. The funding breakdown sees $100,000 come from Bond’s ministry and $30,000 from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development’s Major Events Program.
Bill Cooper, the CEO for Rugby Canada’s men’s and women’s sevens tournaments, clarified that the larger sum of money will be directed toward the tourism aspects of staging the women’s event, from raising awareness internationally to ensuring broadcast on the various platforms to ensure a broad audience sees the matches. The Major Events Program money will go toward the more operational costs involved with putting on the tournament, he added.
Cooper was reluctant to give the overall cost of staging the Canada Women’s Sevens. He did say the expenses incurred in bringing 11 teams over, housing them, feeding them and providing training facilities for the week, not to mention the cost of staging a live event at Westhills Stadium, were “significant.”
The women’s event, while growing in popularity here – tickets are already about 40 per cent sold, Cooper said – is still not a money making venture, unlike the Canada men’s sevens tournament, which saw nearly 80,000 fans watch the games at B.C. Place Stadium.
The partnerships with the provincial and federal governments go a long way towards sustaining growth in the women’s game and the sport in general, he said.
The competition, part of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, will include the three medallists from the Rio Olympics – Australia, New Zealand and Canada, in that order – as well as nine other national teams.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at canadasevens.com/womens/tickets.
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