We are thrilled to announce that the Super Sevens Series, UK’s elite rugby sevens series, is joining forces with the London International 7s Tournament Series (LIT7s Series), UK’s premier social rugby sevens series, to form “LIT Super Sevens Series”. In 2025 the newly formed series will become UK’s largest rugby sevens series and feature over 200 Men’s and Women’s Social, Open and Elite teams over four legs of competition.
With the huge success of the sport at the Paris Olympics, this merger is the most exciting development for rugby sevens in decades that will bring more spectators to events and help player and referee growth across all levels.
Established in 2012, the Super Sevens Series was founded by Terry Sands (former England 7s Manager) and Barrie Torbett with the aim of bringing together the best men’s and women’s sevens teams in the UK to compete at the highest level in the country and create a pathway for professional sevens participation for players and referees alike.
Players such as Sam Cross, Harry Randell, Semi Radrada, Ross McCann, David Strettle and many other household names have played in the Super Sevens Series as part of their journey towards playing for their respective countries.
In addition to growing local talent in the UK, over the years international sides like Hong Kong, China, Germany and Spain have also taken part in the Super Sevens Series due to the high-quality rugby that it offers to teams wanting to develop and compete at the highest level. The motto of the Super Sevens Series is “serious rugby’.
Sands and Torbett said, “The Series has achieved so much since its inception in 2012 with countless players and referees using the Series as an opportunity to gain experience and develop their skills to help them achieve their ambitions to represent their country at the highest level possible. So many teams have experienced what it’s like to participate in a multi leg series where a very different commitment is required to perform consistently throughout the series. All have benefited significantly from participation, and we believe the Series can maintain its quality whilst being available to a larger combined audience.”
The London International 7s Tournament (“LIT7s”), was founded in 2012 by Ellaine Gelman, and has grown into the largest rugby sevens tournament in the UK with 70 teams competing in 2024.
Over the years LIT7s has welcomed international sides including the Chinese National Team, the French National 7s Champions, the Jordanian National Side, HK Football Club Women and many others.
This year, LIT hosted the inaugural LIT London 7s - a large stadium event at Wimbledon AFC which saw the competition of elite teams from the USA, New Zealand, Fiji, Ireland, Jamaica and Great Britain and more.
The LIT7s Series was founded in 2023 to grow rugby sevens and is currently the only amateur series in the UK featuring 60 teams across four events at rugby clubs around the country that include well known teams like Shogun Rugby.
LIT7s CEO Ellaine Gelman said, “We are excited to bring the Super Sevens Series into the LIT family and to continue what Terry (Sands) and Barrie (Torbett) have created to continue growing the sport in this country.
We are extremely proud of the opportunities our tournaments create for rugby sevens players in the UK and the amount of people we have introduced to the sport.
One of my favourite success stories is of a Women’s player picked up at our LIT7s tournament by Saracens. She was recognised for her blistering pace and was scouted by England Rugby and GB7s.
We strive to provide these kinds of opportunities for players in the UK where the pathway to international sevens is not linear.”
The new LIT Super Sevens Series will provide social and up-and-coming players with an opportunity to play rugby sevens series alongside elite and international sides like Spain, Germany and Hong Kong. This will help teams develop and move up the ranks as they gain experience. The larger events will be more accessible for spectators and help grow the fan base for the sport.
In 2025, the new LIT Super Sevens Series teams will compete in four legs over the summer and culminate with a party celebration where Series winners will be announced at the LIT7s Tournament in July at Wasps Rugby Club.
With this merger, we are excited to begin a new chapter for UK rugby sevens. Join us!
More information can be found at https://www.supersevensseries.com/ or on LIT7s social media @LIT7s or @supersevensseriesuk.More information can be found at www.LIT7s.com or on LIT7s social media @LIT7s.
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