Super Sevens Series back at Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club as part of two-day event with Women's tournament as Friday curtain-raiser
A year on from staging a slimmed down regionalised Greene King IPA 7’s Festival, Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club chairman Craig Germeney has revealed plans to make this summer’s event ‘bigger and better’ than any of it predecessors.
For the first time since the annual tournament began at the Greene King IPA Haberden in 2009, with 2020 lost to the pandemic, the fast and furious version of rugby will spread to encompass two days.
One of those will see the WowHydrate Super Sevens Series UK return to Suffolk for their deciding leg after a suitable financial agreement could not be reached ahead of last summer’s event.
The Southgate Green-based club will use the evening of Friday, June 30 to showcase the return of the women’s open tournament – which did not happen last year due to not enough teams being available – in a free entry offering.
Tickets for the headline Saturday, which will see the men’s open run alongside the premier event featuring the likes of 2022 champions Samurai as well as some international-drawn outfits, are set to be an appealing flat-rate £5 in advance and £10 on the day.
Germeney said advance tickets are not set to be put on sale until the current campaign is concluded, with Jacob Ford’s first team away at Guernsey tonight (7.30pm) ahead of their National League 2 East finale at home to Henley a week tomorrow (3pm).
With an on-site camping offering for the first time this year as part of the 7’s festival, Bury are billing the 2023 event as a ‘3-day extravaganza’.
Germeney said: “This year’s is a bit of a hybrid, so the Friday will be a women’s festival as a curtain-raiser in the evening, Saturday will be the Super Sevens Series coming back for the final and we’ll also have a men’s open.
“Then both on the Friday night and Saturday night we’ll have a bit of a party with live music, food and all those types of things.
“The third day is we’re offering camping here so it is pretty much a bit of breakfast and go home.
“It’s a two-day event as far as the rugby goes and a third day for those that decide that they want to stay over.”
He is also delighted to be able to welcome back the Super Sevens Series to the club for 2023.
“It happened because it happened. The arrangement didn’t work for us and it had to be.
“We have to get something out of it and we’ve had conversations for this year and we’ve come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
“Look, we’ve always wanted the Super Sevens to be here, it’s a great tournament.
“Now we’ve taken that break for all of us to reflect and learn from it and move forward.
“I think this year now gives us the opportunity to have a really good hybrid with the Super Sevens here and just really make it bigger and better.”
Putting the women’s event on the Friday night is also something he feels can help that part of the tournament flourish.
“As the women’s game continues to grow we’re restricted on space here,” he said.
“We thought we could make this a bit more of an event as a curtain-raiser and let them have the whole forum to themselves.
“It’s just an opportunity that naturally comes and something we want to embrace.
“For me the men’s open will play down on pitch 4 with the final up on pitch 1 (in front of clubhouse). But I think it’s a nice thing to be able to showcase the women’s on pitches 1 and 2 in front of hopefully a bumper crowd on the Friday night.”
He is also delighted to be able to welcome back the Super Sevens Series to the club for the 2023 tournament.
“It happened because it happened. The arrangement didn’t work for us and it had to be.
“We have to get something out of it and we’ve had conversations for this year and we’ve come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
“Look, we’ve always wanted the Super Sevens to be here, it’s a great tournament.
“Now we’ve taken that break for all of us to reflect and learn from it and move forward.
“I think this year now gives us the opportunity to have a really good hybrid with the Super Sevens here and just really make it bigger and better.”
Putting the women’s event on the Friday night is also something he feels can help that part of the tournament flourish.
“As the women’s game continues to grow we’re restricted on space here,” he said.
“We thought we could make this a bit more of an event as a curtain-raiser and let them have the whole forum to themselves.
“It’s just an opportunity that naturally comes and something we want to embrace.
“For me the men’s open will play down on pitch 4 with the final up on pitch 1 (in front of clubhouse). But I think it’s a nice thing to be able to showcase the women’s on pitches 1 and 2 in front of hopefully a bumper crowd on the Friday night.”
Meanwhile, Ford's Wolfpack side will go into tonight's National League 2 East fixture at Guernsey still with a best ever top five finish in their sights.
Following having last weekend free, Bury are sixth in the table and just one point behind fifth-placed Henley, who they host in their final match a week tomorrow. The gap to fourth-placed Dorking is eight points.
