The Sevens Future Landscape conference was hosted at Twickenham and, as well as senior management from the RFU, included delegates from the International Rugby Board (IRB), Premier Rugby Limited (PRL), Rugby Players Association (RPA), Sport England and representatives from major rugby sevens tournaments currently hosted around the country.

Presenters at the conference included David Faulkner from England Hockey and Simon Golding from beach volleyball, who shared their experiences of the Olympic effect on their sports, and Steve Griffiths from the IRB who presented on the global development of sevens.

High profile former players of the sevens game such as Phil Greening and Mike Friday also shared their views.

The conference objective was to share insights and generate discussion about how best to seize the opportunity to grow rugby sevens from the grassroots to the elite game in England on the back of the successful IRB Sevens World Series and the sport's inclusion in the Olympics.

Francis Baron, the chief executive of the RFU, said: "As the national governing body for rugby in England it is essential that we take the lead on the development of sevens.

"The inclusion of the Game in the Olympics offers a massive opportunity to grow the game of rugby still further in England and globally but this needs to happen in a managed and structured fashion so that it does not conflict with or undermine the wider development of the professional and amateur game."

Terry Burwell, the RFU's Director of Tournaments and Competitions, said: "This is not just an opportunity for the elite game although the success of the IRB World Series has given us a fantastic shop window.

"Over 60,000 supporters came to the London leg of the World Series over one weekend last May and we are aiming for over 100,000 this year so that gives us a great platform to build from.

"From a participation perspective there is a huge amount going on at all levels of the game and rugby sevens is played across England most of the year.

"For many players playing sevens is the way they come into the game and part of how they stay in the game.

"So making sure we have the right structures in place to grow Sevens in a way that complements and benefits the XV a side game and vice versa is crucial.

"Nobody is better placed than the RFU to do that but the input of stakeholders across the sevens game is vital."


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