NEW YORK – USA RUGBY announced that, in conjunction with the Metropolitan New York rugby Football Union, they will host The Emirates Airline USA Rugby All-Star 7s Tournament on Randall’s Island, NYC for the second year in a row. The pool of All-Star players will come together for this tournament on August 28th and 29th 2010.
“I am excited about the tournament being hosted on Randall’s Island for the second year in a row,” stated Bret Costain, one of the tournament directors and President of the Village Lions. “The trust shown from USA Rugby tells us that they liked how we handled the tournament last year and they see the potential for growth on the East Coast for these types of venues.”
The tournament will see teams coming in representing their Territorial Unions (TUs) from all over the country. The TUs are Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Mid-West, West, Pacific Coast, and Southern California. These select sides are representative of the best sevens players across the nation and are the top pool for prospective USA 7s Men’s and Women’s National Sides. Selectors for the national teams will be in attendance and surveying the crop of talent at the tournament.
“Last year on Randall’s Island, we showed we could successfully host this tournament for the best 7s players in the US. I’m proud USA Rugby concluded we should host it again.” said Toby Butterfield, President of the Metropolitan New York Rugby Football Union.
Nigel Melville, CEO and President of Rugby Operations at USA Rugby, highlighted the importance of the tournament to the future of rugby by saying, “With less than six years left until sevens makes its debut in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, this is the type of event to identify those who will be making that team to represent the United States.”
For those unable to attend the event, all matches will be broadcast live on USA Rugby’s UStream channel, with play-by-play commentary and an interactive chat room. To watch the tournament, go to http://www.ustream.tv/usarugby.
For further information on the tournament, please visit: newyorkallstarsevens.org