I thought I would give my own take on the Championship Cup Series (CCS) which completed its first season, here in the USA, before Christmas.

It has consisted of five Sevens tournaments in Las Vegas, Cape Fear, Denver, Kansas City and New York City.

Twelve of the top US Sevens clubs (Aspen, Belmont Shore, Chicago Lions, Denver Barbarians, Glendale, Golden Gate, Kansas City, Long Island, NYAC, NOVA, Old Blue, and OMBAC – Life has withdrawn) are now headed for the Series Championship in Las Vegas in February and the prize pool will be $7,500 for the winner and $2,500 for the runner up.

This is a very encouraging start for the fledgling competition.

The CCS was created to become a significant and meaningful contribution to the growth and relevance of the sport of Sevens rugby in America. The goal is to establish a national, second-tier elite competition (under the IRB Sevens World Series), dedicated to the development of Sevens rugby.

This is similar to other national/regional Sevens competitions, i.e., the Kenya KRFU National Sevens Circuit, the Asian Sevens Series, and of course the upcoming UK National Sevens Series.

All of these competitions provide an opportunity for international-level Sevens players to hone their skills and abilities with regular, elite fixtures. The CCS can also act as a “farm system” to develop promising Sevens players and provide them with the necessary training and experience so they can then be “called up” to the next level.Another important dividend would be attracting non-rugby athletes to our sport through a well-run professional competition.

The CCS will not only provide opportunities for Sevens players, it will allow referee development in many of the same ways. The Series will permit elite Sevens referees to improve and sharpen their skills through regular, high-level competition. It will also provide the necessary experience and training for our promising and developing referees, helping to widen and deepen our pool of referee talent.

By having the chance to referee new teams with different styles under unfamiliar conditions, outside of their usual territory and out of their comfort zones, referees, like players, can grow and improve their skills. This in turn will help to fill the growing need for qualified Sevens referees at all levels of play. Thanks to the partnership encouraged by USA Sevens between the CCS, the individual Sevens tournaments and our National Sevens Referee Program, all of these stated goals can become reality.

The CCS was originally envisioned as an additional draw to the USA Sevens Tournament in February, while the long-term intent has been to provide incentive for teams to focus on their respective Sevens team, to create a competition that is compelling enough to warrant attention from cable and broadband telecasts and to add value to sponsors.

In the inaugural season of the CCS, there has been an increase in the number of competitive teams participating in these tournaments, and an appreciable rise in the level of skill and intensity of the players. However, all of the financing for players and referees has come from their respective organizations.

What has been lacking in the past has been an appropriate business model that would provide a sufficient revenue stream that could grow the game of Sevens rugby without taxing the club’s and players’ already limited funding. The ultimate test for any sports competition in America is whether it can make money, become self-sufficient, and build and widen its appeal.

By packaging the CCS with the USA Sevens as its climactic event, we see a viable economic enterprise that is on target to become self-funding, through sponsorship, and can reinvest a portion of that back into our sport for the benefit of everyone.

The future of Sevens rugby in America, as represented by the Championship Cup Series, holds considerable promise. As the CCS looks to expand the number of tournaments next year (Lakeshore 7s, PAC 7s?) there is also the possibility of both a women’s division and an international division over the next several years. There are some overseas teams heading over to this year’s Las Vegas Invitational, whan exciting prospect.

In tandem with the considerable momentum from the inclusion of Sevens rugby into the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the noted increase in the worldwide audience for the IRB Sevens World Series, the future so bright, I might have to wear shades.

CCS Winners:

Las Vegas – Belmont Shore
Cape Fear – Life University
Denver – Denver Baa-Baas
Kansas City – Gentlemen of Aspen
New York – NOVA