PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) – Team USA women’s and men’s rugby teams will head to Portland for the 2024 PR7s All-Star Tournament.
The tournament will be held on November 17th at Providence Park.
Their press release states, “The U.S. Women’s and U.S. Men’s teams will compete against a team of PR7s All-Stars featuring past Olympians, legends of the sport, and other top players.” Fans will witness multiple 14-minute matches in a tournament-style event. ”
This will be the team’s first home rugby tournament since the Paris Olympics.
At a press conference Monday, Olympic medalist Sammy Sullivan explained why he believes Portland is the ideal venue for an event of this magnitude.
“The support for women’s sports here is unlike any other town in America,” Sullivan said.
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Sullivan was a member of the historic U.S. women’s rugby sevens team that won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
This was the first-ever Olympic medal for the United States in rugby sevens. She said the win was “shocking” for the growth of the sport.
Speaking about the growing interest, she said: “The best part is when young fans come up and say, ‘Oh, I played soccer, I played basketball, but I told my parents I wanted to find rugby locally.’ A team close to ,” Sullivan said.
The number of high school girls rugby sevens players has increased by 50%, according to Jeff Aaker, president of the Oregon Rugby Association.
“A whole new group of people who have never even played a team sport are showing up to learn the game and participate,” said Tracy Flitcraft, head coach of the Multnomah County-based East County Grackles. It’s a really great thing for ordinary girls.”
Flitkraft said the women’s Olympic victory brought new excitement to the sport.
“Being able to see these female athletes at the Olympics brought back so much passion and excitement because they are so accessible. These are people we know through our connections. Our girls commissioner used to play in USA Rugby and played with a lot of the players,” Flitcraft said.
In Bend, Summit High School girls rugby coach Steven Lopez has also noticed an increase in players.
“We had 14 new players this season,” Lopez said.
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Many of his teams plan on making the three-hour drive to Portland just to watch the tournament.
“This opportunity to see high-level athletes perform in a great venue and in front of perhaps thousands of fans is exciting for young high school athletes,” Lopez said.
Focusing more on women’s rugby, Sammy Sullivan considers what this means for Team USA at the next Summer Olympics.
“The more people we can seat, the bigger the stadium will be in 2028, and the more people will be able to enjoy this beautiful sport of rugby sevens,” Sullivan said. Ta.
The PR7s All Stars vs. USA Rugby Tournament will be held at Providence Park on Sunday, November 17th from 2pm.
Tickets are available and can be purchased here.
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