GREENSBORO, NC – Twelve collegiate men’s rugby teams will face up at Macpherson Stadium in Greensboro on September 29 & 30 to compete in the Atlantic Coast Invitational Rugby Sevens collegiate series.

This year’s tournament, which brings together six men’s teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) universities and six men’s teams from non-ACC institutions.

“Since the Sevens version of rugby was selected as an Olympic sport making its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, we have seen exponential growth and interest in this fast-pace game,” commented Pat Kane, Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Rugby League, which is putting on the event. “Fans on Sunday will also be able to see high school exhibition matches played by local high school teams which is a good indicator of how this game is catching on among youth in North Carolina.”

Teams scheduled to compete will represent the following universities:

Appalachian State University
Clemson University
East Carolina University
Navy
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina-Wilmington
University of South Carolina
University of Tennessee
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University

“Because college rugby is classified as a club sport rather than a varsity sport, many people fail to recognize just how dedicated these players are to their teams and to the sport,” commented Andy Richards,head coach of men’s rugby at Virginia Tech and co-founder of the Atlantic Coast Invitational Rugby Sevens Series. “These student-athletes train for hundreds of hours and travel thousands of miles to compete. This Series event brings exciting rugby competition to the Triad and our mix of teams from ACC schools with in-state rivals and national powers like Navy and Tennessee will make it especially entertaining.”

This tournament is the second in a series of four invitational tournaments presented by the Atlantic Coast Rugby League. The first tournament, held in Blacksburg, VA on Sept. 15, saw Virginia Tech defeat North Carolina State in the final. The series culminates the weekend of October 27-28 when the Atlantic Coast Rugby League will hold its Rugby Sevens Championship in Virginia Beach, VA. The winner of that tournament will receive an automatic invite to the USA Rugby men’s collegiate rugby sevens championship.

This weekend’s tournament will be take place at Macpherson Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina which is located in the Bryan Park Soccer Complex. General all day admission will be $10, students 18 and under $5, and children 10 and under free. Events begin at 10:00 am both days.