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Tickets for the largest annual rugby event in the United States featuring the world's best 16 teams can be purchased at www.lasevensrugby.com

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 7, 2021) – World Rugby is back as the HSBC LA SEVENS returns to Southern California March 5-6, 2022 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. LA Sevens, part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, will feature Team USA and the 15 best rugby 7s nations as they go head-to-head in Southern California, at the same open-air stadium that will host rugby at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.  The weekend will also feature broadcast coverage across multiple NBC platforms, including live television coverage on NBCs. The return of the HSBC LA SEVENS was announced today by Steve Cohen, AEG’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Dan Lyle, Director of AEG Rugby.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments taking place over 10 global cities including Dubai, Vancouver, Singapore and London, and featuring national teams from the top 16 countries. The US leg of the international series, most recently held in Los Angeles in 2020, with the 2021 event being suspended due to the pandemic, is the largest annual rugby event in the United States. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.lasevensrugby.com or by calling 1-888-9AXS-TIX. 

Participating Teams in this year’s HSBC LA SEVENS will include: USA, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Kenya, Japan, Australia, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand and South Africa. The two-day event, with over forty games providing more than 8 hours of play each day, will provide a preview to Southern California of the 2028 Olympic Games in LA., when rugby sevens will be one of the featured sports in the Summer Olympic Games. This year’s tournament will feature an International Fan Festival that will include music, food, culture and entertainment from around the world and will take place in and around Dignity Health Sports Park during the event weekend.

Another unique component of the two-day event will be the grassroots community tournament, The Los Angeles Invitational, which will take place on the outer fields around the stadium, with 300 community teams playing in co-ed divisions of youth, high-school, college and adult clubs. The HSBC LA SEVENS is expected to attract thousands of international rugby fans who are known to follow the global series to root for their favorite teams and players.

The HSBC LA SEVENS will bring passionate fans from across the USA and around the world to join together and celebrate at the round-robin tournament. Los Angeles serves as host to the fast and intense competition with high scoring games, which coupled with the electricity of the spirited international fans, provides a unique and memorable event for all spectators. The event will also welcome celebrities from the world of television, film and music, along with top athletes from a variety of sports who are also rugby fans and supporters of their national teams.

Steve Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer for AEG, commented “AEG believes in the sport of rugby and has committed to its development domestically and globally.  The HSBC LA SEVENS represents the highest level of rugby sevens played worldwide, and with World Rugby and our partners is an event we plan to cultivate and develop into something bigger and better each year culminating at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.” 

Dan Lyle Director of AEG Rugby added, “Sevens rugby brings 16 countries together in an environment that is equal parts festival, sport and business – it is that combination which makes the sport unique and diverse, and as every fan who left Dignity Health Sports Park after year 1 in 2020 said they couldn’t wait to be back.”

Ross Young, CEO, USA Rugby said, “We are thrilled to again partner with AEG and welcome this headline event back to LA. We know the rugby community is eager and hungry for the energy of rugby sevens at Dignity Health Sports Park. With LA 2028 a short and fitting seven years away, the development of this event as a sports and entertainment product is quintessential for the broadening of our fan base and rugby community in the region and beyond.”

World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: “We are very excited to see the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series return to Los Angeles in March. After such a thrilling tournament at the beginning of 2020, we know that fans will be eager to fill Dignity Health Sports Park once again to see the very best players in action. “We know that there is a huge appetite for rugby in the USA, and with USA in targeted dialogue to host Rugby World Cup 2031 and LA set to host the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, there’s no better opportunity than the HSBC LA Sevens for us to show the world what rugby in the USA is all about.”

As Nielsen research has reported the USA has the highest number of rugby fans of any single country worldwide with more than 33 million people. American fans will have the chance to see Team USA up close in Los Angeles and around the country as the event will be televised on NBC Sports. The HSBC LA SEVENS event will also offer a preview of a world championship event in advance of the 2028 LA Olympic Games, in the same venue where the Olympic Rugby competition will take place. [NTD – WE SAY THIS A LOT]

Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports, “It’s good to have rugby back on home soil and with NBC Sports. Rugby 7’s has brought new viewers to the sport and NBC is committed to the long term and is looking forward bringing the excitement of HSBC LA Sevens into our viewers homes. Our partners in AEG have consistently shown that they have the vision, experience, and capabilities to not only put on a great event, but help shape the development of rugby in the USA.”

Tickets for HSBC LA SEVENS are on sale to the public on Friday at www.LAsevensrugby.com or by calling 1-888-9AXS-TIX.

About HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series

One of the most popular sports in the world is showcased in this annual series of 10 international rugby sevens tournaments featuring national teams from 16 countries. The 2020 schedule will include competitions in: Dubai, UAE; Hamilton, New Zealand; Hong Kong, SAR; London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; Singapore; Paris, France; and Los Angeles, CA, USA. For more information, visit: www.world.rugby/sevens-series

About AEG Rugby

AEG Rugby is spearheading the LA Sevens event for AEG. A whole owned subsidiary of AEG Worldwide, AEG Rugby’s mission is to work with Unions, Leagues, Teams, Brands, Broadcasters and other commercial & development partners to meaningfully grow the relevance and commercial viability of the sport of rugby. AEGR believes that the core values of the game; respect, integrity and teamwork will guide efforts for both immediate and long-term strategic planning & execution to deliver sustainable success for rugby in the USA and our partners around the world.

About Dignity Health Sports Park

Dignity Health Sports Park, home of the LA Galaxy, is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by ASM Global, the privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. Dignity Health Sports Park's commitment to athletics and training also extends to the surrounding communities. Tennis courts, soccer training fields and a three-mile jogging trail with 12 fitness stations around the perimeter of the development is available to local residents as well as other facilities and amenities. Through foundations established by AEG and its operated entities such as the Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and Crypto.com Arena, more than $5 million has been pledged to local Carson and surrounding community organizations in the last decade, including new donations targeting the local Carson community established by the ASCSC Community Foundation. For additional information please visit www.dignityhealthsportspark.com.

About USA Rugby

Established in 1975, USA Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby in America and a Full Sport Member of the United States Olympic Committee. Currently headquartered in Glendale, Colorado, USA Rugby is charged with developing the game on all levels and has more than 110,000 active members across the Youth, High School, College and Senior club level. USA Rugby oversees four national teams, multiple development sides, and an emerging Olympic pathway for elite athletes. USA Rugby affiliates also hosts more than 30 national playoff and championship events each year. In 2018, USA Rugby welcomed the world for Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco, the first-ever Rugby World Cup hosted on American soil. With over 100,000 in attendance, the event broke various American records and has acted as a launching point for the game’s future growth. Visit www.usa.rugby for more information.

Media Contacts:

Michael Roth                                                  Steve Webster/Brynn Wheeler

AEG                                                                CMPR

(213) 742-7155                                               (310) 426-9900

mroth@aegworldwide.com                            stevewebster@cmpr.net or brynn@cmpr.net

Allegra Batista

(213) 763-7738

abatista@aegworldwide.com