Ultimate Sevens today unveils its new brand platform, Don’t Call It Rugby, a bold new campaign designed to positively challenge perceptions of traditional rugby and launch a new era for the sport.

The Championship arrives at a pivotal moment for rugby, with the opportunity to connect with younger, more diverse audiences, in addition to existing fans of the short-form version of the game. Research shows that almost half (47%) of 19–24-year-olds believe rugby is “too traditional”, while when compared to other sports, 41% find it to be “slow”1. As a result, Ultimate Sevens is leveraging the legacy of Rugby Sevens and delivering it for the modern sports fan with faster action, elevated moments, greater accessibility and a modern live experience. Featuring new innovations such as a unique straight knockout format, a condensed playing window, rolling substitutions and dynamic goal-kicking options, the Championship will usher in a new era of the sport.

Created to place Ultimate Sevens at the heart of popular culture, “Don’t Call It Rugby” reflects the changing behaviours of sports audiences. Starring leading Sevens players including Henry Hutchison, Maddi Levi, Manu Moreno and Thalia Costa, the film highlights Ultimate Sevens’ innovative format, live events, player personalities, inclusive fan offering and commitment to elevating both the men’s and women’s game with complete parity.

Demonstrating the progressive nature of Ultimate Sevens, the campaign features bold messaging including:

“Don’t call it Rugby, when this is a whole new era”

“Don’t call it a kick-off, when it’s a show starter”

“Don’t call it stop-start, when it never lets up”

“Don’t call it old-school, when we’re creating the next move“

Not only do younger generations of sports fans crave modernised and faster formats, but research also reveals that Rugby Sevens fans are significantly more likely to attend live sporting events than the wider rugby audience, with over twice as many (51%) having attended a live professional sporting event, compared to 29% of rugby fans overall2.

Combining world-class sporting competition with entertainment, culture, lifestyle and fan-first experiences, Ultimate Sevens’ ambition is to enhance the rugby sevens ecosystem and help make it one of the most followed, enjoyed and engaged sporting disciplines in the world. Through a fresh, integrated marketing approach, the Championship will drive excitement and engagement across its four European live events in Leganés, Madrid, Cardiff, Biarritz, and Brentford London, while attracting new audiences to the game.

Reece Littlejohn, Global Marketing Director at Ultimate Sevens, said: “‘Don’t Call It Rugby’ is more than a campaign line; it is a statement of intent for where we believe sevens can go, and will go, with the new Championship. Ultimate Sevens is here to reimagine the sport, the way it engages with existing fans and how it can connect with a new generation who want their live sport to feel faster, more accessible and more culturally relevant. “We want to create an experience that celebrates elite rugby sevens, and fans of the sport from across the world, while opening the door to new audiences through entertainment, storytelling and moments that live beyond the pitch.”

The campaign will roll out across multiple channels through a global storytelling and integrated activation programme. By combining elite sporting action with a broader cultural proposition, Ultimate Sevens seeks to open the sport up to both new and existing fans and create a destination that extends beyond the pitch.

1 2 Research conducted by Global Consumer Insights in October 2025.