When Kaleem Barreto first heard that Great Britain’s full-time sevens programme would cease at the end of July, his reaction wasn’t immediate anger or grief – it was numbness. “It was a weird mix of shock and déjà vu,” he tells me. “Everything goes still for a second. Not angry, not sad, just… blank.”
For Barreto, the blow came not just as a professional athlete, but as one still recovering from long-term injury and with no contract lined up for the coming season. He’s not alone in this position.
Shona Campbell, a core member of the GB women’s squad, says the news hit with similar weight.
“Shock, sadness, and just a feeling of disappointment,” she says. “Everyone in the programme has made personal sacrifices to be part of GB7s. Each and every person has fought for the future of the programme – and now, in the new proposed model, we are unsure of our future.”
Last week’s confirmation from GB Sevens and UK Sport that there would be no full-time men’s or women’s sevens teams beyond July has rocked the core of a setup that only recently seemed to be rebuilding.
“A Pop-Up Shop”
The professional programme, launched in 2021 to unify the home nations under a GB banner, aimed to streamline sevens development while boosting international competitiveness. Four years on, players have once again been left scrambling.
“If this is the model moving forward,” Barreto says, “we’re not developing talent, we’re running a pop-up shop.”
His frustration is sharp, not just because of what’s being lost, but because of how it’s being handled. “In a Lions year, no less – we’ve gone from full representation to near radio silence.”
UK Sport’s decision is reportedly funding-driven, with resources being reallocated and sevens now to be managed under a part-time model. But for players, that means not just a shift in structure, it’s a threat to their livelihoods.
Personal Cost, Professional Chaos
“I’ve been pinging between Zoom calls and existential dread,” Barreto admits. “Trying to fix everything but mostly solving nothing.”
Campbell shares a similar reality. “The reality is I’ve just lost my job,” she says. “From the 1st of August, I will no longer be a professional athlete. I’ll need to rejuggle things in order to keep striving to play at the top level – and it’s going to look very different, managing work and playing.”
Without a central contract, Barreto is forced to piece together rehab, funding, and future plans independently. Campbell, too, faces the prospect of balancing elite sport with external employment – a far cry from the stability full-time sport once offered. And what about the talent pipeline?
“Right now, I’m not even sure there will be a sevens stage to aim for,” says Barreto. Campbell adds: “That’s been the hardest part. As a young girl I watched Scotland 7s at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, that inspired me. Inspiring the next generation was one of our core values. Now the pathway isn’t clear. The dream is still alive, but the path might look very different.”
Isolation, Not Unity
One of the most damning consequences, Barreto says, is the effect on squad morale. When asked if it will bring the squad members closer together, he said:
“‘Closer together’ is hard when you’re scattered across the UK and clinging to Zoom calls for clarity,” he explains. The players haven’t seen each other since April, when they left camp under the assumption contracts were being finalised. “Instead, we’ve been blindsided and left to process it alone.”
What Now?
For Barreto, the immediate focus is recovery, but also reinvention. A return to 15s rugby might be on the table, but his commitment to sevens remains.
“I’ll always back this format,” he says. “So, if I’m not on the pitch, I’ll be working out how to keep the game alive for the next kid who dares to dream of sevens.”
Campbell is also weighing her next move. “I’m taking some time to figure everything out,” she says. “If the opportunity arises, I’d definitely transition back to 15s – a chance to challenge myself again.”
But both players are clear: this is more than a career detour, it’s a dismantling of a shared vision.
While Barreto and Campbell’s words are steeped in resilience, they also carry a warning. The collapse of a full-time sevens programme threatens not just a generation of current athletes, but the dreams of those still watching from the side-lines, patiently waiting for their chance to wear the jersey.
