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AGE GROUPS & DIVISIONS

DETAILS OF 2025 DIVISIONS & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

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​DIVISIONS

The age cutoffs for teams playing at the 2025 TROPICAL 7s are listed below::

  • *U18 Boys Elite: born on or after 1 September 2006

  • *U18 Girls Elite: born on or after 1 September 2006

  • U18 Boys Open: born on or after 1 September 2006

  • U18 Girls Open: born on or after 1 September 2006

  • U16 Boys Elite: born on or after 1 September 2008

  • U16 Girls Elite: born on or after 1 September 2008

  • U16 Boys Open: born on or after 1 September 2008

  • U16 Girls Open: born on or after 1 September 2008

  • U14 Boys Open (max 185lb): born on or after 1 September 2010

  • U14 Girls Open (max 185lb): born on or after 1 September 2010

  • U12 Coed Open (max 135lb): born on or after 1 September 2012

  • U23 Mens Elite: born on or after 1 September 2001

  • U23 Mens Open: born on or after 1 September 2001

  • U23 Womens Elite: born on or after 1 September 2001

  • U23 Womens Open: born on or after 1 September 2001

  • *Senior Mens Elite (no age cutoff) 

  • *Senior Womens Elite (no age cutoff)

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*U18 BOYS/GIRLS ELITE & SENIOR MENS/WOMENS ELITE DIVISIONS:  

Please contact the tournament prior to registering by emailing info@tropical7s.com. Your team will need to be pre-approved and if successful will be provided with a code in order to complete online registration. 

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TEAM REGISTRATION DEADLINES: 

The official closing date for registrations is Friday 28th March 2025.  However, as the number of available teams places in each division is capped, divisions are expected to 'close-out' much earlier than the final registration date.

 

DIVISION WAITLISTS:

The number of available team spaces for each division is capped. Once a division is 'full' teams can still register but will be placed on a waitlist. If a space becomes available in that division, waitlisted teams will be contacted according to the order they registered and asked to confirm their registration along with payment of the team registration fee. Tournament organisers may consider extending a division if a sufficient number of teams are on the waitlist subject to overall tournament capacity.

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ELITE v OPEN  DIVISIONS:

The decision to hold separate elite and open divisions at any given age group will be dependent on achieving sufficient number of registrations in both divisions.  Divisions may be combined if there are insufficient team numbers in any division. The Tournament Director's decision is final in deciding whether a team plays in the elite or open division.  If you are unsure which division to register for please contact us first before registering by emailing info@tropical7s.com

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OVERAGE & UNDERAGE PLAYER EXEMPTIONS

Overage exemptions (U18/U16/U14/U12 divisions): Up to 2 overage exemptions are allowed per team for players born within 3 months of the birthday cutoff as listed above (i.e. June/ July/Aug birthdates).​ 

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Overage Player Exemptions (U23 divisions): An exemption can applied for up to 2 players per team who are born within 12 months of the birthday cut-off date as listed above (i.e. born on or after 1st September 2000).

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Playing 'up' an age grade: Players can play up an age grade as long as the player is eligible to do so under the rules and regulations of its home union and the player concerned has completed the necessary waivers/release forms. The Team Manager or Coach is obliged to notify the Tournament of any players in their roster that are playing up an age grade and provide copies of waivers/release forms prior to submitting their roster.

 

All age exemption requests (overage and underage) need to be submitted and reviewed in advance of the tournament (and no later than 4th APRIL 2025) by the player's coach/team manager of the team they are representing at Tropical 7s. The Overage/Underage Exemption Request form can be completed HERE.

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PLAYER WEIGHT LIMITS

Player weight limits shall apply to the following divisions:

  • U14 divisions: Max player weight: 185lb

  • U12 division: Max player weight 135lb

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All teams/players will be required to do a weigh-in conducted by tournament organizers prior to the start of competition..

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TEAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

A team's successful registration is subject to the payment in full of the tournament registration fee and satisfactory compliance with the tournament's sanctioning body (USA Rugby).

  • For non-US registered teams, successful registration is subject to the receipt of an acceptable permission to tour letter from the team's national union.

  • For US-registered teams, successful registration is subject to both the club and all rostered players & appointed coaches are in good standing with USA Rugby (or a USA-Rugby approved affiliated body).  The team's coach must be certified by USA Rugby (USAR Level 200 or World Rugby Level 1), hold up to date Safesport Certification and background checks. These requirements will be checked by USA Rugby in advance of the tournament.

  • Registering teams must comply with USA Rugby’s SafeSport Code (“Code”), Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (“MAAPP”), and training policies.  As such no position which would confer authority, regular contact or access to minor athletes may be filled by an individual who does not fall under the pre-conditions set for compliance by USA Rugby. Rosters 

  • All teams must hold appropriate insurance cover for all members of their party while they are participating in the Tropical 7s and any related activities e.g. training. Teams may be requested to provide details of their insurance coverage.

  • Maximum squad size:  The maximum squad size per registered team is capped at 15 players.  Please note only 12 players can be made available for any match.

  • A club can only register 1 team per division unless otherwise pre-agreed with the Tournament Director. 

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

All players must must be in good standing with its own approved governing body and players have completed any applicable waivers and/or release forms to play in the tournament from its home Union. Every player must be registered in the Tournament’s registration system and is required to submit:

  • Supporting player information including name, date of birth, emergency contact, relevant medical information etc.

  • Proof of date of birth

  • A completed ‘Player Consent & Medical Release’ waiver via the registration portal (contact your Team Manager/Coach for details). If the player is under the age of 18 at the time of submitting the waiver, this form must be completed by the player’s parent or legal guardian. 

 

A player once registered for a team, irrespective of whether he or she has taken part in the tournament, cannot register or make themselves available for registration in any other team.  All players must satisfy all player compliance requirements as determined by USA Rugby. 

 

All teams, their staff and players are required to hold appropriate insurance for all rugby and non-rugby activities for the purposes of participating in the event.

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If you have any questions about registration, divisions or team/player eligibility, please email info@tropical7s.com.

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