USA Sevens Coverage on ABC

Organisers of the USA Sevens have announced that ABC will broadcast highlights of the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament, presented by Bridgestone, as a one-hour special on 22 February at 17:00 EST.

Read More for full details via irb.com. Thanks to Mike Lilly for giving me the heads-up.

Since moving the American leg of the World Series from the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles to central San Diego, the event has enjoyed strong year-on-year growth in what remains an untraditional and emerging rugby market.

Organisers have struggled, however, to convince the nation's major broadcasters of rugby's appeal to a domestic audience, so this latest development is a major coup for the sport.

“Having a chance to showcase the premier event of one of the country’s fastest-growing sports is an enormous opportunity,” said Ray Peterson, managing director of the USA Sevens.

“Rugby fans across America will now be able to watch their favorite teams compete and many new viewers will also be introduced to the dynamic game of rugby sevens.”

The tournament has over 110 media attending, which will ensure that the global rugby community knows about the USA Sevens.

"USA Sevens is about engaging a new rugby fan base through creating a unique American entertainment spectacular with rugby as its hub," said Tournament Director, former Eagles captain Dan Lyle.

"Building on the Olympic model of cultural diversity and elite-level athleticism through our participating nations, we've been able to capture the imagination of a major TV network as well as the support of the nation's seventh largest city, San Diego.

"The attendance figure is expected to top 50,000 this year.