World Rugby has announced the renewal of HSBC as title partner of the record-breaking men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for a new four-year cycle.
Under the record deal, announced on the final day of competition at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, HSBC will also become Official Banking Partner of World Rugby.
The new four-year title partner deal runs from the beginning of the next men’s and women’s series in 2019 through to 2023, extending a hugely successful sevens relationship between World Rugby and the banking giant that stretches back to 2010.
Sevens is a proven fan-engagement leader and driver of global rugby fan-growth, with the latest Nielsen Sports research demonstrating that access to sevens and its simplicity has accelerated audience interest amongst younger audiences in major global markets.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 generated record-breaking fan engagement with a 60 per cent increase on video views from 2016-17.
HSBC and World Rugby will continue to work in partnership to drive the growth of rugby sevens, focusing on bringing fans closer to the action, supporting the development of future stars and delivering amazing experiences for HSBC customers and potential customers alike.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is one of global sport’s most exciting properties. Since Olympic inclusion, we have seen the series become increasingly competitive with global audiences and fan engagement growing exponentially.
“We are thrilled to extend and expand our long-standing and hugely successful partnership with HSBC as title partner for the men’s and women’s series and to welcome them as our official banking partner.
“HSBC share our global vision and have played a key role in the global advancement of the world series and have made important contributions to the sevens success story. We look forward to working together over the next four years as we continue to grow the reach and engagement of the sport worldwide.”
Chief Executive of Global Commercial Banking at HSBC Noel Quinn said: “We are delighted to today re-affirm our commitment to working alongside World Rugby to grow the sport worldwide. Our business is built on a promise that in partnership we can achieve so much more than on our own and our partnership with World Rugby allows us to practice what we preach.
“Over the last eight years we’ve worked with World Rugby to take the sport to new audiences and new markets across the world. It has also allowed us to give customers and potential clients incredible experiences. We’re looking forward to another four years of working alongside World Rugby so that we both achieve our collective goals.”
The men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 saw record-breaking fan engagement figures with more than 120 million video views, a 60 per cent increase on 2017.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 will be hotly contested as 15 core men’s teams and 11 core women’s teams compete for the title, and with the series acting as the principal route for qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it promises to be once again highly competitive.
This season, the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series increases to six rounds with USA Rugby hosting the new opening round in Glendale, Colorado, on 20-21 October, 2018.
Rounds two and three are combined events alongside the men’s series, taking place in Dubai on 29-30 November, 2018 and Sydney on 1-2 February, 2019 before standalone events in Japan, on 20-21 April and Langford, Canada, on 11-12 May. The HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series 2019 will culminate in Paris, 31 May-1 June.
The men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will again be contested across 10 rounds from November 2018 to June 2019.
The series opens in Dubai on 30-1 December, 2018, before teams move on to Cape Town in South Africa the following week.
In the New Year, teams will travel to Hamilton, New Zealand, on 26-27 January, 2019 before both men’s and women’s teams are welcomed to Sydney, Australia, for three days of action packed rugby sevens from 1-3 February.
The fifth and sixth rounds will be hosted in Las Vegas, USA, on 1-3 March and Vancouver, Canada, on 9-10 March, before teams travel to Hong Kong on 5-7 April and Singapore on 13-14 April for rounds seven and eight respectively.
The penultimate round of the series will take place again in London on 25-26 May with Paris hosting the finale on 1-2 June.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “As we enter an Olympic Games qualifying year, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series promises to again be highly competitive as both men’s and women’s teams look to secure their place, via the world series, at Tokyo 2020.
“Rugby sevens has seen record growth in awareness in recent years with its inclusion in the Olympics having a profound effect on the sport, attracting an estimated 30 million fans globally. The series continues to capture the imagination of global audiences with record-breaking fan engagement figures of over 120 million video views recorded this year.
“The world series is truly one of rugby sevens’ flagship competitions and we are looking forward to watching teams once again compete at the highest level for not only for the coveted world series title, but also Olympic qualification.”
Leanne Cutts, HSBC Group General Manager and Group Head of Marketing, said: “As a long-term partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, we can take great pride in the work we’ve done with World Rugby to help deliver the record growth and expansion the game has enjoyed in recent seasons.
“The men’s and women’s games on the pitch are more spectacular than ever. With electrifying athletes, jaw-dropping skills and fascinating personalities, we firmly believe rugby sevens is as entertaining as any sport out there. With the sport’s second Olympics now on the horizon in 2020, there are significant opportunities to engage even more new players, fans and countries.”
The 2019 series also welcomes Japan’s men and China’s women as core teams after they won the Hong Kong qualifier in April.