City of CT signs new Sevens deal with SARU
The City of Cape Town has renewed it's commitment as the host city of the HSBC Cape Town Sevens for a further three years.
The City of Cape Town and South African Rugby Union (SARU) have scored a 'hat-trick' deal.
The Council has given the nod for the City of Cape Town to be the host city for the HSBC Cape Town Sevens rugby tournament for the next three years.
The Council approved a three-year agreement (2016 – 2018) between the City and the South African Rugby Union.
The City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, and Springbok Sevens team members shared the podium at an HSBC Cape Town Sevens media opportunity in the Mother City.
De Lille welcomed the Blitzbok coach,Neil Powell; Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman; and all-time leading Springbok Sevens points-scorer, Cecil Afrika, as well as all of the visiting teams and international and local rugby supporters.
"It is an honour for us to welcome people from across the city, country and the globe to the Cape Town Stadium as our City’s most iconic and world-class venue plays host to an event that unites people around their love of sport," siad De Lille in her opening remarks.
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"You are visiting our beautiful city at the best time of the year. The weather is great and the setting is idyllic, with the Stadium adjacent to Cape Town’s most-visited attraction, the V&A Waterfront."
De Lille alsotook the opportunity to congratulate Powell, Snyman and the Bok Sevens team for winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on Saturday.
The Executive Mayor pointed out that over the two days of the tournament last year, nearly 107 000 spectators packed the Cape Town Stadium.
These numbers translated into an estimated R539 million economic injection into local coffers.
In the region of R122 million was spent by international fans, R198 million was spent by local supporters, and about R3 million was spent by the visiting teams.
The tournament has confirmed Cape Town’s status as the events capital of Africa.
"The ripple effect by way of job creation during the events and after, the increased spending at our attractions and across the hospitality industry, coupled with the need for local associated services that benefit directly from these events, are all a welcome injection into the local economy," added De Lille
More than 60 000 tickets were snapped up by the public on the first day of sales in July, with the total number of 110 000 tickets sold for the weekend.