It´s time to travel to England to the Island of Wight to meet Chris Fletcher South Island Sevens organizer, and know more about what the SIS Beach 5s Tournament to be held for the first time on July 2023 !
FBR : How is the Beach 5s scene in England? Fully established or just starting?
Chris : Beach 5s is in it’s infancy in the UK. This is our first year, standard beach rugby has 3 or 4 tournaments around the UK but we believe Beach 5s to be the way forward, it’s faster and requires a full skill set to be successful.
FBR : In July 2023 the 1st South Island Sevens Beach 5s Tournament edition will be ON. Tell us a little bit more about the tournament and the venue where it’s held.
Chris : The event is to be held at Appley beach, Ryde, Isle of Wight. There will be an athlete village with full medical support, sports physiotherapists, bars, catering and fireworks. Camping is a 6 minute walk from the venue and is £10.00 per person for the weekend.
FBR : How would you convince anyone to go and participate in your tournament?
Chris : Beach 5s is part of The South Island Sevens, a multi sport event held over one weekend in Ryde, Isle of Wight. We have elite level rugby sevens and netball on one site, kite foiling, SUP, CrossFit, Beach 5s and a sunset 10k run on the beach at Appley. We’re expecting 2,000+ athletes and a similar number of spectators. The ferry companies are all supporting the event so we can help with discounted crossings… and the sand is quality!
FBR : Beach 5s are going viral all over the world. How do you see the future of Beach 5s?
Chris : It’s huge, Beach 5s is a subculture within rugby, it’s accessible for both union and league players and that makes it unique. Beach 5s ticks all the boxes, fast, skilful, huge hits, camaraderie, fun and provides the opportunity for travel. I’ve been astounded by how quickly the Beach 5 network has supported us, Peter in Australia offering event footage to help me market our event, Portugal offering reciprocal entries, it’s everything sport should be. We hope we can become a key part of this global network and help grow the game.
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