Sports talk: So many lend their support to players

The Bayleys National Sevens provides the opportunity for our referees, ball boys, officials and a host of other wonderful people to be involved, says Rogers. Photo / File

The sporting events calendar is certainly busy and caters for a wide range of people, whether it be playing, spectating or supporting.

Those who have trained hard throughout the year look forward to competing in their chosen field, and family, friends and supporters look forward to being there to cheer on from the sidelines. Our wonderful region provides a great backdrop to many events.

Sporting events provide many wonderful opportunities. There is always a huge group of people behind the scenes who share in the excitement and the pain.

The athletes who have trained for many months, the family who have supported their training, or the event organiser who has agonised over the smallest detail, and the volunteers who turn up to be helping hands on the day - all contribute to the overall success.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is a proud host to the annual Bay Engineers Sevens Tournament on January 4 at Blake Park, with teams from all over the country competing in what has become an iconic event on the Mount Maunganui calendar.

BOPRU has secured the rights for the National Sevens to be held in Rotorua on the weekend of January 11-12.

We are delighted to host this event, previousl held in Queenstown for 10 years, and we have a team working very hard to provide the very best provincial sevens experience.

Rugby sevens is now on the Olympic Games schedule, our national sevens teams are dominant on the world stage and this national event provides the best possible platform for our nationwide sevens players to prove they are truly the best.

The Bayleys National Sevens provides the opportunity for our referees, ball boys, officials and a host of other wonderful people to be involved.

While the winning teams will hold the trophy up high, there will be an amazing army of people who are also buzzing - those who have worked to ensure that the tournament runs smoothly.

We at the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union wish you and your family a safe and happy Christmas. We look forward to you embracing the many wonderful supporting events in our region over the holiday season. Be Bay proud, we have "Plenty" to be proud of!

Mike Rogers is the CEO of BOP Rugby.