The first annual Abbotsford Rugby Sevens event is just a week away, and even the organizers are blown away by the scope of the tournament.

“If someone had told me five months ago that we’d have 16 teams booked and that we’d be turning teams away, I would have laughed,” admitted Doug Okero, a member of the organizing committee. “What we’ve achieved already, I was expecting to happen in year three of our five-year plan. It’s not supposed to happen this way.”

Okero was born in Kenya and moved to Canada in 2001, and it’s been his dream to bring the Kenyan national team across the Atlantic to help increase the profile of rugby in this country.

His original vision was to promote a one-off exhibition game between the Kenyan and Canadian national teams. But in recent months, the vision has expanded considerably to become a full-blown rugby festival featuring a 16-team tournament.

The Kenyan national sevens side, ranked No. 6 in the world by the International Rugby Board, will headline the event along with the West Indies squad, comprised of players from the Caribbean islands. The balance of the field will be filled out by high-profile club teams from the United States and Canada, including the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club.

The presence of the international sides has generated plenty of excitement in the Kenyan and Caribbean ethnic communities around North America.

“They’re busing people in from Toronto, Calgary, Oregon,” said organizer Donna Bernard, who noted that upwards of 4,000 fans are expected to attend. “People are excited about this event, because they can really get behind their national teams.”

The profile that the Abbotsford Sevens has achieved, even before the first game is played, is impressive. The Kenyan sevens squad rates the event as world-class, on par with major international tournaments in the Netherlands, Tunisia, Zambia and Singapore.

“For a first-year tournament, it’s going to be very good quality,” said Joe Whipple, head coach of the West Indies team. “We wouldn’t be coming if this was just a pub tournament. Kenya is a world-class side, and every game is going to be a tough game.”

Abbotsford Sevens organizers have put a lot of effort into marketing the tournament to the Kenyan and Caribbean ethnic communities across North America, and Okero has personally attended countless rugby events in the Lower Mainland over the past several months to hand out promotional material.

Now, the organizers are hoping to reach beyond the rugby community and connect with local people who might not be as familiar with the sport.

“It’s going to be like a big party,” Okero said. “And for a non-rugby fan, sevens rugby is a very entertaining model. It’s fast-paced and athletic, easy to watch and easy to learn.”

Sevens rugby is a faster version of the 15-a-side original, with briskly paced 15-minute games.

The inaugural Abbotsford Rugby Sevens runs at Rotary Stadium on July 25 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.abbotsfordsevens.com.