Bournemouth welcomes first EBRA British Beach Rugby tournament

The first ever EBRA Beach Rugby tournament arrives in Britain on 17 June and will take place on Bournemouth’s Boscombe beach with eight male and six female teams expected to take part.

This exciting take on rugby has established itself throughout Europe having taken place at tournaments in The Hague, Figuera, Barcelona, Lignanao and Marseille with up to 30 male and 20 female teams already having taken part in the EBRA Beach Rugby 5s Series.

The tournament’s main aim is to introduce a new format of rugby, which is full contact, fast paced and fun, to the UK in addition to raising funds for the brain cancer charity, Braintrust.

Behind this initiative is one of British Beach Rugby’s founders Barty Hills who in 2009 was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Throughout this experience Braintrust provided incredible support to Hills and his family, as they have done for many others affected by brain tumours and it is for this reason that Hills has chosen Braintrust as the main charity partner in order to support them with the work they do and inspire others facing adversity to live life to its fullest.

Commenting on the tournament, Hills said, “We want to provide the opportunity for more people to play this new and exciting version of the sport, in an action-packed, fun festival on the beach and where better to do it than the beautiful Boscombe Beach? We are delighted that Bournemouth council is supporting this event and we have built an amazing festival style day with the help of our sponsors.”

Beach Rugby 5s is a unique, high-intensity sport that has been played in the Mediterranean for over 20 years. It is a 5-a-side, full contact sport played on sand with a full squad of 12 players. It is a much faster game abiding by adapted rules. Due to increased popularity, the European Beach Rugby Association (EBRA) was set up in 2012 to regulate and support the sport as well as drive the development of competitive Beach Rugby 5s in Europe.

With a full contact rugby tournament, charity rugby game and stunning beach setting, the scene is set for an action-packed day of men’s and ladies’ rugby which is anticipated to attract a footfall of 1,000.

The event will run from 10am on 17 June until the closing ceremony on Saturday night. There are a limited number of tickets available, which spectators can purchase at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-beach-rugby-2017-tickets-33659080215