Capital occasions dressed to thrill – rugby fancy dress world championship quest is on

Capital occasions dressed to thrill – rugby fancy dress world championship quest is on

Ahead of this weekend’s Six Nations fixtures, rugby fans are being encouraged to show their true colours and share pictures of themselves in fancy dress in a bid to win a world title – the inaugural Rugby Fancy Dress World Championships.

The competition is organised by the Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Seven which has has seen it all, from a bunch of bananas to a posse of Elvis Presleys, but they are casting the net wider and calling on rugby fans from across the globe to share their weird and wacky costume creations.

This weekend’s sporting action sees Scotland playing host to Wales at Murrayfield and England at home to Italy at Twickenham, both on Saturday, with Ireland taking on France on Sunday, and many fans will show their allegiance with the help of facepaint, quirky headgear and more elaborate garb.

These efforts add to the atmosphere of tournaments and show fans are great sports – and Melrose Sevens wants to capture that spirit by calling for pictures to be submitted via its social media. Entries will be judged on creativity and originality and there will be a best dressed individual rugby fan, and a category for team entries, where consideration will also be given to the overall team’s theme – or set piece.

Fancy dress has been a familiar sight of the Melrose Sevens for decades and this competition closes after this year’s tournament on Saturday 13 April.

“Melrose is the home of rugby sevens,” says Douglas Hardie, President of Melrose Rugby Club. “So, we’re making it the home of rugby fancy dress too. Each year hordes of rugby fans get in touch with their creative side and they bring a colourful and memorable atmosphere to the games they attend. There’s great spectacle on the pitch at The Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Sevens every year, but it can be equalled by the off the pitch sights; rugby fans don’t take themselves too seriously. We’re encouraging everyone to wear fancy dress for this year’s tournament so we can show the world how to wear rugby regalia well! ”

To enter the Rugby Fancy Dress World Championships fans should share their outfit photos on the Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Sevens social media www.facebook.com/melrose7s, Twitter @melrose7s and Instagram @melrose7s using the hashtag #toprugbycostume.

For inspiration, the Melrose Sevens will be releasing a series of ‘how to’ videos for wannabe fancy dressers, as well as archive photos of the club’s favourite fancy dress over the years.

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Sevens is a great day out for families and friends who enjoy fast and exhilarating sporting action. Tickets for the event start from £10 for children, £15 for senior citizens and £20 for adults. Family tickets are also available for £50, admitting two adults and two children.  Attendees are encouraged to attend in fancy dress.

Clubs from across Scotland will be competing against each other and international teams from England, South Africa and USA, for their chance to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Sevens Ladies Cup. If you can’t make it to Melrose, watch BBC coverage through BBC Scotland which is available outside Scotland on Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

For more information, and to book tickets, visit www.melrose7s.com. Keep up to date with the action on Facebook at www.facebook.com/melrose7s, Twitter @melrose7s and Instagram @melrose7s