The USA Sevens Rugby Tournament has moved to Los Angeles for 2020.

By Albert Ainuu
The annual IRB Sevens Rugby tournament will be held in a different location this year as the tournament returns to California after 10 years in Las Vegas, Nevada. The change was rather unexpected for many who had planned their gambling and rugby fixes for March of each year however, the majority of Samoan and Pacific Islander rugby fans live in California which is more convenient for them. However, the return to Los Angeles, California will be welcome of some and not so convenient for many other fans especially those in Utah and the east coast.
The advantages in California are the weather, the facilities and the beautiful Southern California scenery which will be cool, but not unbearable. The Pacific Ocean is less than 30 minutes away from the venue. Hollywood is another 45 minutes from Carson, where the stadium where the rugby tournament will be held is located. Dignity Health Sports Park is also the home for the NFL Los Angeles Chargers football team.
The reasons given for changing the venue included the complaints from teams, players and managers of the various teams who were unhappy with the quality of the field and also the interference of Las Vegas as a gambling destination with team preparations for the tournament. However these same problems were one of the main reasons that fans enjoyed going to Las Vegas every year. The excitement of the rugby tournament and the addition of the opportunity to gamble made this a popular destination for rugby fans. But another complaint was that the numbers of attendees each year was not growing enough for the event to be held in Las Vegas.
The annual IRB Sevens Rugby tournament will be held in a different location this year as the tournament returns to California after 10 years in Las Vegas, Nevada. The change was rather unexpected for many who had planned their gambling and rugby fixes for March of each year however, the majority of Samoan and Pacific Islander rugby fans live in California which is more convenient for them. However, the return to Los Angeles, California will be welcome of some and not so convenient for many other fans especially those in Utah and the east coast.
The advantages in California are the weather, the facilities and the beautiful Southern California scenery which will be cool, but not unbearable. The Pacific Ocean is less than 30 minutes away from the venue. Hollywood is another 45 minutes from Carson, where the stadium where the rugby tournament will be held is located. Dignity Health Sports Park is also the home for the NFL Los Angeles Chargers football team.
The reasons given for changing the venue included the complaints from teams, players and managers of the various teams who were unhappy with the quality of the field and also the interference of Las Vegas as a gambling destination with team preparations for the tournament. However these same problems were one of the main reasons that fans enjoyed going to Las Vegas every year. The excitement of the rugby tournament and the addition of the opportunity to gamble made this a popular destination for rugby fans. But another complaint was that the numbers of attendees each year was not growing enough for the event to be held in Las Vegas.

In the end the event found its way back to Carson, California and the warm coast where there are many rugby fans and the opportunity to grow is available. This year there is going to be a big turn out from the Pacific Islander community as there are over 300,000 Pacific Islanders living in the Southern California region which includes San Diego, Oceanside, Orange County, San Bernardino, Riverside, the South Bay, Los Angeles, and Oxnard. San Francisco and the Bay Area are an 8 hour drive from Los Angeles so within California alone there are over half a million Pacific Islander rugby fans. Hopefully the quality of the competition which has always been excellent in Las Vegas will continue to create memories that encourage the growth of the sport in America.
One thing that we are seeing is the rise of Professional Rugby in the USA. The full squad competitions have begun to catch on with local sports fans. An example is San Diego where the local professional rugby team, the San Diego Legion just signed a perennial all star, Ma'a Nonu of All Black fame, to play for their team in the upcoming season. This is going to increase the visibility of rugby in the USA as the professional game becomes more fan friendly. It will be very exciting to see the return of rugby sevens to sunny California and we wish the tournament a long and prosperous relationship with Los Angeles.
One thing that we are seeing is the rise of Professional Rugby in the USA. The full squad competitions have begun to catch on with local sports fans. An example is San Diego where the local professional rugby team, the San Diego Legion just signed a perennial all star, Ma'a Nonu of All Black fame, to play for their team in the upcoming season. This is going to increase the visibility of rugby in the USA as the professional game becomes more fan friendly. It will be very exciting to see the return of rugby sevens to sunny California and we wish the tournament a long and prosperous relationship with Los Angeles.
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