Council approves request to bid for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series

Off the back of the successful hosting of the tournament from 2016 – 2018, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) has approached the City of Cape Town to put in a bid to host the World Rugby Sevens Series during the 2019 – 2022 financial years. This highly popular international event’s contribution to the City’s gross domestic product increased from R539 million in 2015 to R765 million in 2017. Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management attended the event along with Executive Mayor Dan Plato. Read more below:

The City of Cape Town and SARU hosted a phenomenal inaugural tournament in 2015 that led to Cape Town successfully bidding and securing the tournament for an additional three financial years (2016-2018). The last matches at the Cape Town Stadium for the 2018 season were held on 8-9 December 2018.

‘Council’s approval grants the City authority to submit a bid for the tournament for the next three financial years, 2019 – 2022. Should we be successful, the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town Stadium RF (SOC Limited) and SARU will negotiate and formalise a Memorandum of Agreement that will stipulate the rights and responsibilities of each party,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos.

The City will provide support in the amount of R 2,5 million per financial year for event-related services.

The tournament is a worldwide series of Rugby 7s events being hosted in iconic cities around the globe.

‘The event was a resounding success earlier this month and it was indeed a privilege to showcase Cape Town as the world-class city it is. The local fans and visitor gees was tangible; and spending in the city over the Rugby 7s weekend was phenomenal,’ said Alderman Vos.

The spectator profile over the years was made up on average of 34% of locals (Cape Town), 21% from the Western Cape, 22% from the rest of South Africa and 23% from international visitors. The top five spectator markets were England, Scotland, Kenya, New Zealand and the USA.

‘Given that most of the spectators were from outside of Cape Town, this influx of visitors translated into a significant economic boost for the local economy. Most of the international visitors extend their stay beyond the tournament dates which further boosts the local tourism economy. This in turn holds immense benefits for the City’s residents by way of job creation, support for local businesses and entrepreneurs,’ said Alderman Vos.

Looking back at the benefits of this tournament, the HSBC Rugby 7s is one of the must-have events on Cape Town’s calendar, rivalled only by our other key events such as the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Cape Town Jazz Festival.

‘I would like to thank the full sitting of Council for their support and wish our team every success with the bid. Let’s score another hat-trick for Cape Town,’ added Alderman Vos.

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Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town

Media enquiries: Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Cell: 076 277 3351, Email: james.vos@capetown.gov.za, (always copy media.account@capetown.gov.za)