- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Wellington leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series is just three weeks away, yet only 1300 tickets have been sold for the two-day event. Does New Zealand just not care about rugby sevens?
The sevens series has ballooned in popularity over the past few years, heading to more countries, with participation rates on the rise all around the world.
But it seems New Zealand have gone the opposite way.
While the Kiwis have always had a leg on the series tour, a once sold-out crowd nearly every year has turned into a dampening emptiness of spare seats.
Westpac Stadium in Wellington has a capacity of 34,500 yet, as mentioned, only 1300 of those seats have been sold for this year’s event so far, an embarrassing figure for the organisers.
It’s not a one-off either. Even last year they only produced 15,000 fans – less than half the stadium’s capacity.
Hospitality New Zealand Wellington regional manager Dylan Firth was realistic in his assessment of the current state of the tournament.
“The event is not as huge as it once was, so people are not putting any investment into it,” Firth told Stuff.
Wellington Sevens general manager Steve Dunbar tried to be positive about the situation, but there’s a hint of desperation in his hopes.
“Each year we listen to fans and to change the market approach,” he said.
“We are doing all we possibly can. I hope people come out and have a good time.”
In contrast, the South African leg of the series saw 50,000 people fill Cape Town Stadium on both days of the tournament. That was just four weeks ago, so it’s not like the sport as a whole is slipping in popularity.
On top of that, the opening leg of the 2016-17 series in Dubai saw a record-breaking 100,000 fans walk through the gates to witness the action. This in a nation with a limited rugby history – or market, for that matter.
So what’s the go with New Zealand, arguably the best rugby nation on the planet?
The New Zealand sevens side are the most successful in the competition’s history, and by a large margin as well, winning 12 of the 17 series since its inception back in 1999.
However, they’ve fallen behind as of late, making way for a dominant Fiji side that have won the last two series back-to-back, relegating the Kiwis down to third in the process.
If I was a pot stirrer, I might say they don’t care because they aren’t winning, so they stick with the 15-man game. But I’m not, so I won’t.
At the end of the day, it’s a disappointing look for New Zealand rugby and the players themselves, who’ve always been so successful in the game.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.