Wellington Sevens has officially moved to a new New Zealand city

Publish Date: Monday, 22 May 2017, 2:32PM

Hamilton will be the home of the New Zealand leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2018 and 2019.

Wellington's Westpac Stadium has hosted the event since 2000 but crowd numbers have dwindled in recent years from the glory days when the tournament would sell out in a matter of hours.

The announcement of the shift was made by New Zealand Rugby's Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Nigel Cass at FMG Stadium Waikato today.

Cass said Hamilton offered a world-class stadium built for rugby fans, a central location for travelling fans, and most of all, a host community that loves rugby.

NEWS | A new home for the NZ Leg of the HSBC Sevens Series has been announced. READ: https://t.co/bmsHvZV2KN pic.twitter.com/39veh52m8N
— NZ7s (@nz7s) May 21, 2017

Hamilton gets NZ leg of the sevens world series from Wellington. Good call. Captive bogun market should ensure return to traditional values.
— Marc Hinton (@marchintonffx) May 21, 2017

"Hamilton and the Waikato region are rugby mad and we're looking forward to introducing international sevens to the local community and for visiting fans from around New Zealand to experience the heart of rugby in New Zealand."

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.

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