Brentford FC stadium to host rugby union franchise sevens finals
Brentford will host another sporting event this year with the finals of the inaugural Ultimate Sevens rugby union competition set for a west London debut this September.
The sevens tournament will conclude a four-leg series on Thursday 24 September at the Premier League club’s Gtech Community Stadium after events in three successive weeks in Madrid, Cardiff and Biarritz.
Ultimate Sevens has been described as the R360 of the shorter-format of rugby union but has managed to get up and running and off the ground, announcing a number of well-known sevens players such as Maddi Levi, Manu Moreno, Henry Hutchison and Abbie Brown.
It is hoped that notable 15s players will sign up for the series, too.
Managing Director of Ultimate Sevens, Barney Pascall said: “The announcement of our inaugural season feels very special. These four cities give us an incredible balance of rugby heritage and emerging markets, each a platform to launch a Championship that is fast, global, inclusive and built around the athletes and fans that make sevens so special.”
Ultimate Sevens heading to Brentford
The move comes as Brentford looks to significantly expand its annual offering for fans, with the club applying for permission to stage six concerts from next summer.
In addition to this, the club hosted the World Sevens Football finals in May – involving a number of WSL clubs – and are in talks with Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk to stage their Champions League matches this season given the inability to host games in Eastern Europe.
Added Pascall: “Making the Championship a place for new and existing rugby fans to access the sport has been part of our ambition from day one. We are bringing world class athletes into brilliant venues, highlighting the true short form version of rugby, a sport born fast. We want rugby supporters, young sports fans, families and people looking for an enhanced kind of live sporting experience to feel this is for them.”