• Can my team play at the Amsterdam Sevens Tournament?
• How do I enter a team into the Amsterdam Sevens?
• How do you select which International teams get a place?
• How do you select which Dutch Teams are invited?
• Can my team combine the Amsterdam Sevens with other tournaments?
• How much is the entry fee and how do we pay it?
• How many players can I bring and are there any age restrictions?
• Do we need Visas to come to the tournament?
• Am I insured at the tournament?
• When should we travel?
• When are the games?
• Where is the tournament held and how do I get there?
• Where should I stay?
• Can I camp at the tournament site?
• How does the tournament work?
• How can I follow the Fixtures and Scores?

Any team from outside the Netherlands can apply to play at the Amsterdam Sevens. Applications can be done at any time during the year. We do not send out invites, you have to apply using the on-line application process on this web site. Any team at any level can apply. We welcome club sides, social sides, invitation sides and even full international sides. We try to fit in as many teams as possible and only very rarely have to disappoint teams so it is always worth applying.

We invite Dutch Men’s Sevens sides in the weeks leading up to the tournament and they then follow the same application process. Dutch Ladies Sevens and Veterans 10s Teams can apply at any time.

When we do have too many teams there is a selection process. The selection criteria include the (promised) quality of the team (the better the team, the better the chance of getting in), where you are coming from (teams from countries or parts of countries that are under-represented get preference) and regulars also get preference. Also, the earlier you apply, the better the chance of getting in. There is no closing date for applications as we sometimes get late call-offs and can fit in teams at the last minute.

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Your club has entered the tournament with one or more teams in the past

Most likely a known contactperson can provide you the credentials or you can retrieve them if you have forgotten them. If this has no result then start registering yourself and your club again. After having yourself logged in.

Follow help-instructions by using the questionmark-buttons. Use “My Clubs and Teams” to manage your applications.

When your club details are in the system you can enter a team into a tournament. The contact and club details only need to be filled in once and can then be used for applications each year. It is also possible for one club to enter teams into more than one tournament (Men’s tournament, Womens tournament, Veterans (men or women) Tournament and more than one team into one tournament although it is unlikely both teams would be accepted. You can also see details of all of your previous applications from 2019 and the years before.

All of your data is protected by the Login and Password so that only authorized people can access it. You can change or delete your contact details at any time. Club and team details can be changed at any time. It is possible to have more than one contact for a Club. We like to have more than one contact person as this reduces the chance of losing contact with a club (computer viruses, changed e-mail address, people leaving the club etc.). We will only use your data for the purpose of running the Amsterdam Sevens tournament.

The two main selection criteria are the quality of the team and the geography. If you can bring a top quality team we will confirm a place straight away. We do try to check out teams that claim to be top class. Teams that have played in the tournament before and have performed well also get preferential treatment. If you come from a country or area that is not well represented you will stand a much higher chance of being selected. Because it is easy to get to Amsterdam from the London area the number of applications from that area is very high. Applying and paying the entry fee early also gets your team preferential treatment.

Because of the pressure on places we normally do not allow “second teams” to enter.

The selection is a continuous process and, especially for top teams, the process can carry on until the last minute with teams dropping out at the last minute and teams applying. It is never too early or too late to apply.

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Some teams receive an invitation every year to the Men’s Sevens Tournament..

• AAC because they started the whole thing in 1972 and still provide most of the organization.
• Ascrum who also allow their facilities to be used.
• Amstelveen.

The chairman of the Sevens Committee can invite one Dutch team who would not normally get into the Sevens tournament any other way. Usually it is from a club celebrating an anniversary. Teams such as Den Helder and Alkmaar have benefited from the generosity of the Chairman in previous years.

If a Dutch Representative team is available they will be invited. The Dutch National Team plays under assumed names such as Dutch Impalas or Witte Raven. The Dutch Students and Dutch Under 21s have also been invited in the past.

There is then the very grey area of Dutch Teams bringing in quality players from abroad to boost the team. We try to encourage such combinations if the quality of the team is high. They normally apply like any other international team. But are they counted as Dutch Teams or International? It depends. But it is unfair on teams who do not get to play if one club has two teams in the tournament, one “international” team and one Dutch Team. Therefore, if a Dutch club enters an international team, we do not invite a second team from that club. Whether the “Dutch International” team is classed as Dutch or International depends on the situation in the run up to the tournament.

The Dutch National Sevens Championships are held shortly before the Amsterdam Sevens, usually the weekend before and teams performing well who have not already been invited will get an invite. We guarantee that the top 4 in the ’s National Sevens will be invited to play in the Amsterdam Sevens.

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For teams who want to play in two tournaments to make their trip worthwhile these are the other tournaments taking place either the weekend before the Amsterdam Sevens or the weekend after the Amsterdam Sevens. A reminder for teams and players needing visas. The Shengen agreement means that, if you are visiting two (or more) countries in the Shengen area then a visa for the first country you visit will also be valid for the second country you visit (the dates must include the whole trip). If you go to a country outside the Shengen area you will need a separate visa. The Shengen area includes all members of the EU (plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland) except the UK and Ireland. For the UK you therefore need to get a separate visa.

The entry fee for 2022 is €600 for a 7s team and €720 for a 10s team. This includes entry to the tournament for 15 people for the Men & Women 7s (18 for the Veterans 10s), a match ball, packed lunches for Saturday and Sunday, a team photograph and much more. Note, if you are bringing more than 15 people on the touring party (18 for the Vets) you will need to purchase extra Weekend tickets for these people. Teams can order extra weekend tickets (15 and more) at a discount compared to the regular price by entering the number of tickets they want into the application in our webshop (there is a field there) and paying the extra money in the same way as the entry fee or with the entry fee.

The only method of paying the entry fee is by using our webshop.

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Arriving in Amsterdam
Certainly be there for the Friday Evening Reception. The reception is held from around 5 o’clock until around 9 o’clock on Friday at the Sportpark. The reception is certainly one of the highlights of the weekend with rugby players from all over the world singing their traditional rugby songs and drinking large volumes of free beer before heading off for more last minute training in the Red Light District. It is also the opportunity to get some of the administration done, handing out information to the teams. If you do not make the reception then you need to be at the Tournament before 09:30 on Saturday to sort out the administration. If you have not turned up at the reception and have not turned up by 09:30 on Saturday morning your place will be given to one of the reserve teams we always have available “just in case”.

Leaving Amsterdam
The final game finishes around 5 o’clock on Sunday. This is followed by the prize giving ceremony followed by a few hours of very sociable winding down. If you are booking a flight, try to get one as late as possible on Sunday or, even better, wait until Monday. Leaving early and missing the final is bad. Missing the plane is also not good. Late planes avoid having to make the choice. Warning: booking a taxi to the airport is no guarantee it will arrive or that someone else will not steal it. The party moves to Susies Saloon in the Red Light District until late on Sunday. Well worth staying on for.

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The first games are at 10:00 sharp on Saturday. On Saturday the last games usually finish at 17:00. The draw for Sunday is made when all games are finished on Saturday so most teams wait around to find out who they are playing and how late their first game is. The draw is usually available about one hour after the last game finishes.

Sunday also starts at 10:00 sharp. From lunch onwards the business end of the competition (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals) begin, culminating in the Final starting around 16:30.

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By Road
Don’t get lost. The route description below is now the way you get to the National Rugby Centre Amsterdam if you come via Haarlemmerweg (N200), the easiest way for most people coming by road. Coming from Amsterdam, head towards Halfweg and Haarlem on the N200 until you hit traffic lights with a signpost for Geuzenveld to the left. Turn left if you are coming from Amsterdam and then turn right at the T Junction about 200 meters further. Immediately after the enforced left turn, turn right onto Cornelis Outshoornstraat which becomes JM den Uylstraat. A little more than a kilometer further there is a bend to the left into the car park. Allow at least half an hour from Central Amsterdam.

Always check (google) Maps before getting on the road.

By Uber Taxi or Minibus
Easiest way is to get around Amsterdam is by downloading the Uber app. Just make sure your uber won’t get poached by other players 😉

There are Taxi ranks on the Leidseplein and at the Central Station. You can also book a taxi or minibus to pick you up. The number of the biggest taxi company is +31 20 777 7777. A number of teams have asked about booking a taxi/minibus to travel to and from the tournament. I think this is an excellent idea removing the rush to get to the bus and also avoids the need to travel with the poor people. To book in advance try TCA on +31 20 7777777. Ask for “special vervoer” which is the section dealing with mini-buses.

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The tournament structure can be checked when the regulations for each year’s tournament are put onto this web site. The structure can change depending upon the number of teams who have places and the number of pitches. The usual structure is as follows. Each of the Tournaments is split into two parts: The Saturday Pool Games and the Sunday Competitions.

You can enter a team in the following competitions:

• Men & Women 7s Elite Pier
  All registered teams will be ranked and placed in a number of pools. Depending on their performance the teams will play on Sunday in the following competitions:
  • Men 7s Elite Pier
  • Men 7s Elite Cup
  • Men 7s Elite Boot
  • Men 7s Elite Plate
• Men 7s Social Shield
  All registered teams will be ranked and placed in a number of pools. Depending on their performance the teams will play on Sunday in the following competitions:
  • Men 7s Social Shield
  • Men 7s Social Badge
• Men 10s Veterans
  All registered teams will be ranked and placed in a number of pools. Depending on their performance the teams will play on Sunday in the following competitions:
  • Men Vets 10s Pier
  • Men Vets 10s Shield
• Women 7s Elite Pier
• Women 7s Social Shield
• Women 10s Veterans

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The Amsterdam Sevens takes place on the outskirts of Amsterdam at the National Rugby Centre in Geuzenveld. All sensible people stay in the centre of Amsterdam.
The best places to stay are:

• In or near the Red Light District.
  This is not as seedy as it sounds and since most players and spectators seem drawn to the area it saves the problem of trying to get back to your hotel after a few beers. There are a couple of “clubhouses” in that area. Cafe Corso is the clubhouse of the Marauders and Suzies Saloon has its own invitation team of mostly Kiwis. This is also close to Central Station where you can get a bus or taxi to the sports park.
• Near the Leidseplein.
  There are also a couple of Clubhouses here including Cafe Heuvel on the corner of Prinsengracht and Spiegelgracht. The Hans Brinker Hotel is very cheap, is central, welcomes Rugby Clubs and many, many teams stay there. The owner usually reserves the whole weekend for teams from the Sevens (normal tourists might be a little overwhelmed staying with many rugby teams). For this reason the on-line booking system shows the hotel as full during that weekend. To book rooms you therefore need to ring up the hotel (+31 20 6220687) or e-mail sybil@hans-brinker.net and say you are a team from the Amsterdam Sevens.
• If you want to keep your players away from the temptations of Amsterdam there is another possibility.
  Holiday park Spaarnwoude is set in the middle of a nature area with a golf course about 10 km to the North West of the Tournament site (away from Amsterdam). You can rent different kinds of bungalows, from 2 to 8 people. Click here for more details.

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No. The local council gets very upset about this and there are also security staff who patrol overnight who will ask you to move on if you try to camp there. There are many camping sites around Amsterdam. Possibly the closest to central Amsterdam and the Central Station is Camping Vliegenbos. This is in Amsterdam North, just over the water from the back of Amsterdam Central Station. They claim it is 15 minutes walk from Central Station but we do not intend to test this claim.Address Details are:

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Visas are needed for nationals from the Pacific Islands including Fiji and Tonga, Africa, including South Africa, most of Eastern Europe, and Asia. Airlines will only let you onto the plane if you have a valid visa and we have had players left behind at the Airport. More commonly, teams apply too late (we recommend you contact the consulate or embassy 8 weeks before the tournament) and can only get appointments after the tournament and so cannot come. If you want to avoid problems, read this section carefully and apply as early as you can. The reference site for this is the official web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken). Click here to get to the site. Once on the home page you can switch the languages on the bottom of the page. Enter ‘Visa’ in the Search box to get to the relevant information.

The countries where you do not need a visa are basically:

• The whole of Europe except Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Macedonia.
• All of the Americas, North and South, except Colombia and some Caribbean states.
• Australia and New Zealand.
• If you already have a valid visa for another Schengen country, e.g. Italy, Spain, France, Germany, then you do not need an extra visa to come to the Netherlands but you will have to show that visa. For Schengen visas you normally need to have a visa for the first Schengen country you enter. Note that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is not a Schengen country.

The countries where you do need a visa are:

• All of Africa, including South Africa.
• All of the Pacific Islands including Fiji, Tonga and West Samoa.
• All of the former USSR states.
• All of the Middle East except Israel.
• All of Asia, including Turkey but excluding Japan, South Korea and Brunei.

Applying for a Visa.
The process for getting a visa is explained under “Applying for a Visa”, the web address for the English version is:http://www.minbuza.nl/en/welcome/comingtoNL,visas_x_consular_services/applying_for_a_visa.html.
To find your nearest Embassy or Consulate click on “Missions” in the heading (or go directly to the following web address) and fill in your country and city.
http://www.minbuza.nl/en/welcome/comingtoNL,visas_x_consular_services/when_you_require_a_visa.html
If you, or one of your players, needs a visa you will need to contact me as the Embassy or Consulate will need proof of your invitation to the tournament and insist on a formal letter with headed paper etc. Some embassies and consulates will allow a scanned copy by e-mail, but not all. You will need to check beforehand with the embassy/consulate exactly what you need to bring as it can be a real bummer as well as a waste of everyone’s time if you are missing one item.
If you need a visa it can take up to two months to get an appointment and get your visa.

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If you are coming to the Amsterdam Sevens you need to arrange your own travel and health insurance cover.The Amsterdam Sevens have strong medical support at the tournament with doctors, medical assistants and a medical room where minor repairs (stitches, bandages etc.) can be carried out. However, if you need to go to hospital you will need medical insurance. If you are an EU Citizen you are covered if you have an EU EHIC (European Health Insurance Card, replaces E111). Some non-EU nationals resident in EU countries can also get an EU EHIC. Check your local EHIC web site. In the UK these are available from the NHS at no cost and are valid for 3 to 5 years. If you have private health insurance, check you are covered.

The EU EHIC does not cover repatriation. You will need travel insurance for this. We encourage everyone coming to the Amsterdam Sevens from abroad to take out comprehensive travel insurance.

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The fixtures and scores will be available on line during the tournament. From midweek before the tournament the fixtures for the Saturday Pools will be available on-line. During the day on Saturday the scores and tables will be updated and available on-line. On Saturday evening, hopefully by around 18:00, the fixtures for Sunday Morning will be available on-line. During Sunday the results will be updated on-line during the day and, as teams progress, the teams in each fixture in the knock-out phases will be filled in as the teams qualify.

To access the fixtures and scores click on “Fixtures & Results”. In the Fixtures and Results screen select the results you want to see.

Select

Year
The current year’s Saturday fixtures will be available from midweek before the tournament, Sunday Morning fixtures from about 18:00 on Saturday and the knock-out games on Sunday as teams qualify. You can also select any year to see the completed results of previous tournaments.

Day/date
Choose either Saturday or Sunday. This can be done by selecting either the date or choosing the Saturday or Sunday radio buttons. Tournament Choose Ladies 7s, Men’s 7s or Veterans 10s.

Sub-Tournament
If you leave this blank it will create all fixtures/scores for that tournament on that day. You can select , for example, Silver Pier Sunday Pool matches or Heineken Boot Semi-finals. This will show all Silver Pier Sunday matches or all Heineken Boot semi-finals.

Pool
To select just one pool or match you can select it here. For example there are normally 12 pools in the men’s Saturday Pools. You can select one of the 12 pools. Similarly you can select semi-final 1 or Semi-final 2.

Click on “Create Report”. The report can be printed off.
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