THIRD EDITION OF YOUTH SUPER SESSION WILL WELCOME 6000+ KIDS TO EXPERIENCE HSBC SVNS VANCOUVER FOR FREE

February 13, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) - The 2025 HSBC SVNS Vancouver marks the tenth anniversary of the popular rugby sevens event, and the third-straight year more than 6000 youth will be invited to watch the tournament free of charge.  

In partnership with the Vancouver School Board (VSB) and with schools located in Burnaby, North Vancouver and Coquitlam, 6,000 students will have the opportunity to attend matches at BC Place Stadium on Friday February 21, the opening day of HSBC SVNS Vancouver. 

Since 2023 when it was introduced, the Youth Super Session has become the highlight of the annual community events and youth engagement opportunities affiliated with HSBC SVNS Vancouver. Including 2025, more than 18,000 youth will have been able to watch the tournament for free over the last three years.  

“We are deeply grateful that through this partnership, students across VSB are able to take in the excitement and joy of sport,” said Helen McGregor, VSB Superintendent. “Student well-being is our top priority, and opportunities such as this help foster school communities where students can learn, see themselves, feel supported and be connected – all of which encourage holistic student development.”    
 
Since the fan-favourite rugby sevens tournament first came to Vancouver for the first time in 2016, Rugby Canada has planned and delivered more than 50 community events in the Vancouver area, reaching over 20,000 kids through Youth Super Session, Rookie Rugby Festivals, on-field activations at BC Place, and school and Indigenous community visits with our Canadian and other international sevens teams. With the community events planned for 2025, Rugby Canada will reach the milestone of engaging more than 25,000 youth with rugby while celebrating the tenth anniversary of Vancouver Sevens.  
 
“The legacy and community events that we have hosted over the last 10 years have been a core component of what makes the Vancouver Sevens event so successful,” said Steph Veal, Senior Manager of Game Development with Rugby Canada. “The tournament has allowed us to create meaningful and long-lasting connections with schools and our rugby community in BC which has helped us grow the game and expose more Canadians to rugby.”    
 
Other Rugby Canada Community Events 

Additional events will be held in the week leading up to HSBC SVNS Vancouver. Rugby Canada will host a FREE Rookie Rugby Festival with for children between the ages of 5 and 14 with Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team in attendance. For more information or to sign up click HERE. 

For individual between the ages of 13 to 18, regardless of rugby experience, are invited to participate in various rugby games and activities alongside current players from Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team on February 19 at Bayside Rugby Club. More information on that event can be found HERE.

About HSBC Vancouver Sevens  

HSBC SVNS Vancouver is a three-day indoor rugby sevens tournament, hosted February 21-23, 2025 at the world-class BC Place Stadium on the traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, that will feature 24 of the world’s top women’s and men’s sevens teams. Vancouver is part of the global HSBC SVNS series. Sevens rugby, a fast-paced and shorter version of traditional rugby with only seven players per side, has built a huge international audience through the success of the HSBC SVNS series (formerly HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series) and its inclusion in the Olympics, which attracts large audiences in markets around the world. The 2025 HSBC SVNS kicked off on November 30, 2024, in Dubai.  

About Rugby Canada  

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby 15s and 7s, as well as govern the club and community game for more than 40,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members. Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Vancouver Sevens annual tournament.