One of Yorkshire's leading rugby festivals returns to Ilkley Rugby Club on Saturday 4th July as the Flotilla Ilkley Summer 7s welcomes teams, supporters and visitors from across the North of England.
Now in its ninth year since the tournament's revival at Stacks Field, the event has become an increasingly important fixture in the rugby 7s calendar, attracting high quality men's and women's teams from across the region.
This year's tournament will feature three competitions, the Men's Open, Ladies Open and expanded Men's Social Cup, offering a full day of fast paced rugby action across multiple pitches.
Reigning champions OG's return to defend their title in a fiercely competitive Men's Open competition, where they'll face strong challenges from hosts Ilkley RFC, England Deaf 7s and a host of talented sides from across the region.
The Ladies Open once again promises to be one of the highlights of the day, with teams including Doni Demons, Wharfedale Ladies, West Park Ladies, England Deaf 7s, Harrogate, Filthy Fifths, Hallamshire RFC and more all battling for silverware.
Following huge demand, the Men's Social competition has been expanded for 2026 and will feature a packed field including teams from OGs, Ripon, Yorkshire Terriers, Harrogate Pythons, Hotham Massive, Old Brodleians and many more, ensuring plenty of competitive rugby and entertainment throughout the day.
Tournament organiser and Ilkley RFC Director of Rugby Rhys Morgan said:
"The Tournament’s reputation continues to grow as does its entries both male and female, the location people travel from continues to widen. It’s great to see HAS 7s and Tryit plus a lot more new names across the board. It’s good to see OG 7s, the men’s holders back along with West Park Ladies cup holders and Old Brods the Ilkley Brewery champions. The club has really got behind the event this year with New Chairman Nigel Jenkinson and Anthony Bagshaw moving us forward and a big thanks to this year's main sponsor Flotilla group."
The tournament has a rich history at Ilkley Rugby Club. Whilst the modern event was reintroduced in 2017, rugby sevens has been played at Stacks Field since 1951, with several future internationals taking part over the years, including Phil Horrocks-Taylor, Brian Barley, Nigel Melville and Richard Cardus.
Away from the rugby, visitors can enjoy a full festival atmosphere with food and drink available throughout the day, including Sachi's Indian Street Food, Loaf & Loaded sandwiches, Goodfellows Cocktails, Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream, the club BBQ, outdoor bars and more. Evening entertainment will continue after the rugby concludes, making the event one of the standout dates in the Wharfedale summer calendar.
This year's event is proudly supported by headline sponsor Flotilla, helping further strengthen and grow the tournament. Flotilla is an ESG technology and advisory partner, built for growing businesses, helping turn ESG data into measurable commercial outcomes.
Ilkley RFC President John Barwick said:
"The Ilkley Summer 7s is an increasingly important event in the RFU rugby 7s calendar. This is the 9th Tournament since 7s rugby was reborn at Stacks Field. It was inspired by Director of Rugby Rhys Morgan and supported by the management team.
At the time Ilkley RFC had a seriously ambitious and talented 7s squad which went on to win the RFU National 7s in 2017 after qualifying through winning three feeder tournaments. Over the eight years we have witnessed some excellent matches and great rugby – a proper advertisement for the 7s game with so much fun and camaraderie mixed in.
I hope all those participating in this year's event will have a great time with us. There’s sure to be plenty of exciting, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable rugby on display. Let’s hope the weather gods are kind to us!"
The Flotilla Ilkley Summer 7s takes place on Saturday 4th July at Ilkley Rugby Club.
Entry is £10 on the gate, with no advance ticket required and first kick off is (approximately) 9:30am.
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