Oktoberfest Rugby sevens to launch in Munich

Germany is renowned around the globe for a couple of things: cars, rich cuisine, ancient culture and most certainly for its love of beer.

In relation to the latter point, plenty of Australians would be familiar the annual occasion of celebrating just that passion, the Oktoberfest in Munich. In terms of Germany’s reputation as a sporting nation, most people will only associate it with football.

Rugby on the other hand has a longstanding tradition in Germany dating back to the 1870s, but despite recent growth is still simmering below the surface of the national sporting consciousness.

A couple of determined German businessmen with solid rugby backgrounds have set their sights on changing just that. This year will see the first edition of the Oktoberfest sevens, a two-day pro rugby tournament featuring twelve national teams, among them several World Series participants plus Germany as hosts.

The inaugural event will be held on the 29th and 30th of September this year, right in the middle of the two week Oktoberfest celebrations. Munich’s iconic Olympic stadium, situated at the heart of the scenic Olympic park and a mere 15 minute subway-ride away from the Oktoberfest grounds, will be the venue. With recent refurbishments having brought the stadiums facilities up to the highest demands, spectators can expect two days of sevens actions in a perfect setting.

Australian Fox Sports rugby commentator Sean Maloney – who is also consulting the tournament organisers and has visited last year’s Oktoberfest celebrations as well as the stadium itself – sees the venue as a perfect fit: “that Olympic Stadium is something else, it will be heaving when the Sevens crowd get in there.“

The Oktoberfest as the biggest beer fest worldwide and the carnival-like atmosphere at sevens events seem bound to complement each other. The chairman of the German Rugby Union Klaus Blank sees the event as a “perfect fit” with “fun atmosphere meeting forceful sport with the utmost entertainment value.”

Sean Maloney, who also comments World Sevens Series Events wouldn’t disagree, as he couldn’t think of “a more perfect match than Sevens and Oktoberfest,” further adding: “Honestly, those two are soulmates, I want them to enjoy a lifetime of happiness together. It would be a beautiful thing.“

The fact that the organisers have chosen a 69,000 seater as the tournament’s venue goes to show the ambition behind this project. “Germany hasn’t seen a rugby event of that scale,” confirms the German rugby union’s sporting director Manuel Wilhelm, who also stresses the importance of this tournament for the development of the sport in Germany: “The significance of the Oktoberfest 7s for German rugby is extraordinary!”

The last large scale sevens event held in Germany were the Hannover 7s in 2008 and 2009. The two editions featuring teams from across Europe drew a respectable crowd of 26,000 and 16,000, but were ultimately discontinued by their organisers.

The game’s footprint as a whole however has massively grown since, in part due to the inclusion of rugby Sevens as an Olympic sport. Even its dynamic nature on the pitch, which makes it so appealing for rugby-outsiders, has further increased. Rugby as a sport is reaping the rewards, as the HSBC Sevens World Series is now legally available in Germany for the first time.

More than four million Germans watched Fiji taking the spoils in the final of the Rio Olympics – despite the difficult time slot after midnight – a new record TV audience for rugby in Germany. Even the country’s biggest tabloid Bild reported extensively on the ‘Fijian Rugby Giants’ while usually all of its sports coverage is exclusively dedicated the round ball game.

Germany’s sevens team itself has been one of those most profiting from the inclusion of the sport at the Olympics. With increased funding by the German federal government as well as access to the country’s world-class sporting facilities dedicated to Olympians, Germany’s sevens team has been on the up.

At the Olympic qualifying tournament in Hong Kong last year the Germans beat World Series core team Canada and only just failed to beat Samoa after having lead the islanders at half time.

This year will see Germany’s second participation at the Hong Kong World Series qualifier event in a row. While the team fell short at the semi-final stage last year, chances for this year’s event look better than ever.

It seems to be a question of when, not if, the German team will ultimately qualify for the highest honours in world sevens – a spot as a core team on the world series.

With the Oktoberfest sevens as an opportunity to showcase the sport to sponsors at home sporting director Wilhelm also sees increased funding opportunities for the national team:

“Very often when we talk to potential backers we are asked when they would get an opportunity to see the sport of Sevens in Germany? Now that opportunity exists with its drawing potential for sponsors and fans alike!”

The German rugby community is poised about this unique opportunity.

Whether the tournament will ultimately turn out be a success also heavily depends on the organisers’ capability of tapping the huge share of Oktoberfest visitors from rugby-mad nations that gather in the beer tents of the Oktoberfest annually only a few miles away. An estimated 350,000 from core rugby countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, France and the U.K. make their way to the Oktoberfest.

Once at the festival grounds the stadium would only be a 15-minute ride away.

The organisers aim for 45,000 visitors in the first year and ultimately want to see their tournament become part of the World Series. When World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper was asked about just that prospect last year by the German rugby-website TotalRugby.de, he was optimistic and yet cautious at the same time.

The Australian emphasised “Munich and Germany will have to prove that they can put together a good tournament, draw a crowd and then it is absolutely possible for them to go for a spot on the World Series.”

If the Oktoberfest 7s is going to successfully establish itself in the years to come, it will be a huge uplift for German rugby as a whole. But also specifically for the German Sevens team, which will further ensure that rugby is a truly global sport.