{"id":42617,"date":"2020-12-07T14:36:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T14:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=42617"},"modified":"2020-12-07T14:36:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T14:36:41","slug":"englands-rugby-sevens-lost-their-funding-can-they-save-their-olympic-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/englands-rugby-sevens-lost-their-funding-can-they-save-their-olympic-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"England’s rugby sevens lost their funding. Can they save their Olympic dream?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Megan Jones felt strange, almost surreal. She was returning to The Lensbury, England sevens’ training base in Teddington, London, for the first time since March. She made note of the two images decorating the walls depicting past victories, happier times.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jones had not played alongside her sevens teammates since February, when they faced off against other international sides in Sydney, Australia for the then-latest leg of the World Rugby Sevens tournament. Back then, the Sevens were gearing up for an action-packed few months, highlighted by Tokyo 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to now and a very different picture transpires. Both the men’s and women’s sides have no further matches scheduled and no training dates in their diaries. There is just one day circled on the calendar: 23 July 2021, the opening ceremony of this summer\u2019s Olympic Games and the next time they can be sure they\u2019ll play together again.<\/span><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Exclusive: England rugby star Alex Matthews on Tokyo 2020<\/a><\/strong>
\n–\u00a0Lockdown impacted everyone, but women\u2019s sport paid a higher price<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The coronavirus pandemic has caused chaos and turmoil in British sport this year. But, for the most part, it was able to continue: The Premier League has limped on behind closed doors. Wimbledon and the Open Championship were cancelled, although affected players were able to play other tournaments. Normality was hard to find, but the show went on.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympics has been postponed until July 2021, and Team GB has been almost entirely unaffected. From track and field to swimming, British athletes are striding on. Expect for one programme: Rugby sevens.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rugby Football Union (RFU), England rugby\u2019s governing body, has had to deal with alarming cuts caused in part by the pandemic. In August, it cut the budget for its men\u2019s and women\u2019s seven-a-side rugby teams. Not just a partial cut, either; the entire professional programme was axed. All Sevens staff and players were made redundant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two teams are now crowdfunding<\/a><\/span> to help to provide funding for equipment costs, training, match practice and playing staff, as well as travel to pre-Olympic camps and competitions. They\u2019re also seeking corporate sponsorship.<\/span><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/t.co\/vVBi8gCg3M<\/a><\/p>\n

WE ARE LIVE! This is our crowdfunding @PledgeSports<\/a> page, if you can please donate and help us on our #RoadToTokyo<\/a> .We have been overwhelmed by the support we have been shown already! #SaveOurSevens<\/a> #SaveEnglandSevens<\/a> #crowdfunding<\/a><\/p>\n

— Englandrugbysevens (@Engrugby7s) September 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n