I played professional rugby 7s for about 10 years, and it was a wild ride. Packed stadiums, last-minute tries, sunburns in exotic places, and friendships forged in competition. It was a decade chock-full of brilliant times, show-stopping moments, and memories that run deep.

But when I think about my time on a 7s field, I don’t only recall the big wins or the international glory. A large part of me goes straight back to my 12-year-old self: a skinny, enthusiastic boy in an oversized woollen blend shirt that flapped like a flag in the wind. 

My annual rugby 7s fix came at the world-famous Rosslyn Park National School 7s in the UK. It is the largest celebration of school-age rugby in the world, and it’s been the launchpad for countless professional players.

My school team never troubled the latter stages of the competition but nevertheless there’s something magical about grassroots rugby events like Rosslyn Park. They’re chaotic, joyful, and bursting with raw talent. You see kids who’ve just learned how to pass properly playing alongside future internationals. It’s where dreams begin, and where the love of the game is cemented forever.

If we scour the globe for another grassroots event that mirrors this scale and spirit, there is only one: the Dubai 7s.

The Dubai 7s isn’t just a tournament, it is a full-blown rugby carnival. It’s got the glitz and the glamour alongside glorious grassroots grit. Every year, hundreds of youth teams from around the world descend on The Sevens Stadium to chase trophies, hone their craft, and have the time of their lives. 

Of the 100,000 strong crowd through the gates each year, many are boys and girls aged 12-18 ready to give it their all on one of eight pitches at the historic rugby hotspot.

What sets Dubai 7s apart is that, just a stone’s throw from those youth pitches, superstars of SVNS are battling it out on Pitch One. While the kids are chasing glory in their own age groups, their heroes are doing the same just across the paddock. It’s like playing a school concert next door to Taylor Swift.

Imagine being a youngster who’s just played their heart out in the U12 final. You’re drenched in sweat, your socks are halfway down your shins, and, minutes later, you’re sitting in the stands watching the fastest, most exciting athletes on the planet tear it up. That’s not just inspiring, that’s rocket fuel for a young rugby dream. 

The energy they’ve poured into their own game is instantly reflected back at them by the pros, like looking into a mirror that shows you what’s possible if you keep chasing the dream.

This central feature of Dubai 7s isn’t just worthy for its sentimental notions. The challenge for rugby, for any sport, is growing the grassroots numbers to build a sustainable conveyor-belt of participants at all levels. It’s a constant topic in rugby circles from the clubhouse bars to the union boardrooms. 

The golden formula that has existed in the Dubai desert for decades is the concoction of youngsters rubbing shoulders with the elite of the sport and everything in between – the beer-drinking boys of the social tournament for whom rugby is community, the elite invitational women who are a new generation breaking new ground in the sport, and the old vets who have seen it all and still got the love. 

Showing the kids why rugby is great beats telling them and, in Dubai, the kids can see it and feel it for themselves. A weekend-long sales pitch to the players of tomorrow.

With the melting pot of cultures, music, food, and an unapologetically festival vibe Dubai 7s is rugby, but with a splash of carnival. 

For young players, this kind of environment is priceless. It teaches them how to compete, how to be part of something bigger than themselves, even perhaps how to lose. They live out the parts of rugby we love to espouse, the community, respect, and the joy of the game.

I am grateful to return to Dubai this year once again, waiting for a chance to wax lyrical about the times I trotted out in the big stadium. 

As always, I will watch the kids play and be reminded of where it all began. We see ourselves in their scrappy determination, their wild celebrations, and their wide-eyed wonder as they watch the pros.

Dubai 7s is a place where grassroots meets greatness, where dreams are born, and where the next generation of rugby stars gets a front-row seat to their future.