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In a recent column for the IRB, Al Caravelli has given his opinions on what he believes will happen to Sevens in the US if the sport gets into the Olympics.

One of the USA Sevens head coach’s major claims is that the national Sevens team will become full time and turn professional. This would obviously having a major positive impact for the sport if a succesful outcome regarding the sport and the 2016 Olympics is reached.

Caravelli also said that his squad will move into a city where they will train five or six days a week in preparation for the 2009/10 IRB Sevens World Series and he also believes more athletes like Leonard Peters, the former NFL player, and Dallas Robinson, the USA Track athlete who can run the 100m in sub 10 seconds, will cross over into the sport.

But he is also aware that if the Olympics does not get accepted when the final decision is made in October in Copenhagen these changes may not occur and is not getting too carried away.

“We in the United States are over the top excited with regards to the Olympics,” he said.

“Granted we all know there is still a lot more work to do before the IOC vote on October 9. As IRB Chief Executive Mike Miller said, ‘we are through to the final’. That means that we are not done with the task in hand.

“We need to win that final and get that vote, and even if that happens we’ll still need to grasp fully the huge opportunities available to us to promote and develop the game of rugby in this country.”

Sevens is already on the rise in the United States and has seen the national team become a core team on the IRB Series replacing North American rivals Canada and participating in all eight legs last season.

There are also already 100 Sevens tournaments in the country and events such as the recent National Club Sevens won by Belmont Shore and this weekend’s All-Star Sevens in New York.

At the American leg of next year’s IRB Series there too will be the new Championship Cup Series which sees the winners and runners-up from the five of the most prestigious Sevens tournaments in America (Las Vegas, Cape Fear, Denver, Kansas City and New York) playing in a tournament alongside the USA Sevens in February in Las Vegas.

A positive Olympic decision, however, will further change the way the sport is perceived in America to unprecedented levels.

“Media coverage was unparalleled (when the recommendation was made). For the first time I can remember, rugby - and specifically Sevens rugby - was covered and talked about by the mainstream American media,” Caravelli told the IRB.

“ESPN, the premier sports broadcasting station in America, made the announcement every hour for 24 hours. I personally received calls from the NBC Sports Olympic desk, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Tribune and the New York Times asking me for a comment on the announcement. All of them published a story either online or in print.

“I believe that if we get the vote in October it will be a great thing for the USA market. The allure of being an Olympian is a massive draw for American athletes and something that not all traditional American sports can offer. It will give legitimacy to the sport of rugby across the US.”

Busy schedule for Caravelli

Originally scheduled to be coaching one collegiate side at this weekend’s US All-Star Sevens Championship, Caravelli will now be in charge of two as the South RFU have pulled out due to issues with team funding.

The USA Sevens head coach will look to include some South players with the tournament also providing a good opportunity for the coach to take a look at players with one eye on the national selection camp in September.

Although there has been a lot of discussion since the South pulled out with regards to the way their funding is spent it is not the first time a side has had to pull out of the US All-Star Sevens with the Northeast doing so in 2007.

However the All-Star championship has already shown its benefits for players at the event in the past and Caravelli will hope the talent on show this year is no different.

A shining example is last year’s MVP Kevin Swiryn, who captained the Collegiate side coached by Caravelli and helped them to win the Bowl beating Pacific Coast 30-12 in the final.

Swiryn went on to represent the USA Sevens side in all but two of last year’s IRB Series tournaments, and captained the side in Hong Kong and Adelaide before recently being called up to the Eddie O'Sullivan's 15-a-side squad.

Join the debate: Territorial All-Star teams – who should be selected?