Ksh136 million up for grabs for Kenya 7s in new one-day sevens tournament

RUGBY Ksh136 million up for grabs for Kenya 7s in new one-day sevens tournament

Imran Otieno • 14:00 - 04.05.2023

The ticket prizes for the event will retail at Ksh7,500.

The national rugby men’s sevens side, Shujaa could wave goodbye to their financial woes should they win the inaugural New York City Sevens slated for Saturday 15 July.

Shujaa will face stern opposition to claim the one million dollars (Ksh136,400,000) cash prize as the tournament includes New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, Fiji, Ireland, and the hosts the USA.

The tournament slated for New York will mark the launch of America’s first professional major rugby sevens league by the World Rugby Football League.

The cash prize is the biggest in the sevens game with 16 games on show for the expected crowd of 25,000 fans in the one-day international rugby festival.

A number of teams have however been left out of the tournament that has no Asian side with big hitters Argentina and Samoa being the high-profile sides to be excluded.

Kenya and the other teams announced to take part in the tournament are however yet to officially confirm their participation.

The tournament will be hosted in the 25,000-capacity Red Bull Arena, home to Major Soccer League (MLS) side New York Red Bulls.

Rob Cornelius, President of 44FiftyFive Sports & Entertainment and Head of Operations for NYC Sevens emphasized the quality of teams set to grace the tournament.

“NYC Sevens is not just fast-paced, hard-hitting rugby that features the best teams in the world; it’s an all-day festival showcasing the energy and passion of international rugby sevens through music and sport.

As a leading promoter of the Las Vegas USA Sevens, the most successful rugby sevens event in the United States, we are excited to be a part of The World RFL’s premiere kick-off event by introducing Olympic-calibre rugby sevens to New York City.”

The NYC Sevens has ambitious plans for the 2024 edition that will feature 48 games and $4 Million cash pool with the 2025 tournament growing to 112 games across seven events, with a $12 Million cash pool.

Fan ticket prizes for the tournament will be billed at Ksh7,500.