25 years of thrilling rugby: Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens, powered by SOCS

March 18th, 2024

Megan Balmont

Marketing and Events Manager

Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens and SOCS are celebrating a silver milestone in their partnership to deliver the world’s biggest and most prestigious schools sevens competition. The tournament has run every year since 1939, making it one of the oldest continuous competitions for schools. As early adopters of harnessing the best tech, SOCS has provided unparalleled digital support since 1999.

Hilary representing SOCS at Rosslyn Park in 1999

This year, there will be 1084 teams playing a total of 2,276 fixtures across five age groups with schools competing from all over the UK and touring teams from as far afield as Canada and the UAE. And since 1998, competitions run for girls have continued to grow, reflecting the increased uptake amongst female players.

“The complexity and sheer scale of this competition run over five intense days would not be possible without the technical expertise of SOCS. They provide real-time updates for everyone involved from coaches, players, parents and press. For the last 25 years, SOCS has been a central hub for managing the flow of information before and during the tournament. We are looking forward to the next 25 years of working so closely together to continue delivering the world’s biggest and best schools sevens tournament.”

Andy Higgins — Tournament Director

“We are proud to partner with Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens and it is a highlight of the year when we are on site, heads down managing the team schedules and publishing real-time results pitch-side and online. This tournament has seen some of the world’s rugby greats compete and it has been wonderful to play our part in its continued success for a quarter of a century.”

James Kershaw Naylor — SOCS Business Development Director