NACRA Event Opens Doors in NC

The recent NACRA Sevens Championship was a success on the field, but the aftershock sent waves of hope across the area. Hosted at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, the 10,000 seat venue served as an excellent fit for the tournament and more importantly… rugby.

The Carolinas have hosted rugby events before. Collegiate Championships (Greensboro, NC), College Bowls (Charlotte, NC), and even Test Matches (Charleston, SC) have all been hosted in the Carolinas. However, the Triangle Region of North Carolina had yet to host a major event. The area, which surrounds the State Capital, has a strong rugby community with five men’s clubs within an hour of Raleigh, three major colleges with men’s and women’s programs, an exploding youth segment, and a solid international business presence.

Not knowing what to expect, the NACRA event opened the eyes of many in the region with the turnout, benefit to local businesses, and much more.

“​We were delighted to host the first-ever Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the newest Olympic sport of Rugby this past weekend,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman of the NACRA (North America and Caribbean Rugby Association) Sevens Championships Local Organizing Committee and CEO of the Triangle Sports Commission. “With hundreds of athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators from around the Americas, the Triangle was the epicenter of Olympic Rugby, at least for the week, and we were thrilled with the fan turnout which filled the Rugby set-up at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.”

The weekend event brought in a little over 5,000 fans to WakeMed Soccer Park despite not being heavily advertised or promoted outside of the rugby populace. The overall consensus from the fans was extremely positive in regards to the event.

“Hotels participating in our Host Hotels program indicated they were filled to capacity,” added Carrow. “They loved having the international Rugby community at their properties, and were very excited about the Olympic aspects as well. We know that nearby restaurants and bars did well, too, which is very typical when you have a large gathering of Rugby players and fans.”

The stadium and area also hit many of the checkmarks for USA Rugby.

“It was a memorable weekend in Cary, a new venues for Rugby Sevens, the WakeMed Soccer Park, an outstanding facility built and supported by the people of Cary,” said USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville. “Apart from the great facility the City worked with us to make sure the event was a success, from the local media and marketing to the selection of hotels and training fields and transportation from the airport. The visiting teams were made to feel very welcome, the players responded by supporting the local youth rugby programs and the event was a great success.”

With a success event under wraps, both USA Rugby and the Triangle Sports Commission can start looking down the road for future opportunities to bring rugby back to the Triangle Region of North Carolina.

“Our goal was to make sure that the players and the fans had a great experience and returned home with happy memories of their first Olympic Rugby qualifier, that goal was achieved,” added Melville.

“Officials with World Rugby, as well as NACRA and USA Rugby, all praised the facilities and the organizing of the event and expressed strong interest in wanting the sport to return to the Triangle,” said Carrow. “Because we invested in making the rugby goalposts permanent at the two primary fields at WakeMed, our goal would be to host a number of major Rugby events there for many years to come.”

The story of rugby in the Triangle is much like that of the entire United States. When presented, rugby continues to come up as a winner in almost every market. With the growth of rugby in the region, the impact the NACRA event made on the area and organizers it may not be long before another big rugby event lands in North Carolina.