New venue proves a big draw

Dubai: Long before the curtain came down and the final stragglers melted away into the night in search of their free bus ride home, it was clear that the first Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, at its new purpose-built home, had been a great success.

Sell-out record crowds of 50,000 on days two and three of the sporting extravaganza - and the presence of ticket touts in the vast car park - amply demonstrated the growing popularity of the event, despite its hugely increased capacity.

Predictably, there is plenty of finishing-off work and polishing to be carried out before The Sevens plays host to European soccer giants AC Milan in January, and then the Sevens Rugby World Cup from March 5-7.

But there was plenty for Gary Chapman, president, Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group, to be satisfied with as he reflected on the first event to be staged at the complex backed by the airline.

He said: "Mike Miller, the CEO of the IRB, has been here and he was very complimentary. He said we have set the standard for the future.

"We've built a great reputation over the years and the Sevens has become a great sporting and social event, again selling out within days."

"People weren't sure what they were coming to this year, but it's as if a magic carpet has somehow relocated everything 30km away to here, and it's been fantastic... we still have the same atmosphere and the same fields, and that's something we're very pleased about. We now need to get involved in a lot of fine tuning and touching up."

Chapman said it was incorrect for anyone to assume that the Dubai Sevens, the traditional opening leg of the IRB World Series, acted as some kind of warm-up for next year's Sevens World Cup, which will feature 24 men's teams and an historic first 16-team ladies competition.

He added: "This was not a trial. We wanted to deliver a first-class event and we were certainly up against it in terms of the time frame we imposed on ourselves.

"But we have delivered. We said we would and I would not call this a trial in any way. I understand why people were worried about the move; there was a twinge of sadness but you have to move forward.

"But until it was here and you could feel it, we could never be quite sure. It's something that is very close to our hearts and everyone has been so positive that I think we must have got it right."

Further high-profile sporting events will be staged at the venue down the line, but it will also have an important life as a community facility for sports such as netball, Gaelic football and soccer as well as acting as the focal point for rugby in the region.

Chapman said: "The running costs here are high... we have water charges, maintenance, security costs. We need to finish things off and then find ways to make it self-liquidating. I think we can do that."