Sydney will take over from the Gold Coast as host of the Australian leg of the Sevens World Series.

The Australian Rugby Union announced on Monday that Allianz Stadium will be the venue for the two-day event for four years starting from the 2015-16 season that traditionally runs from October to May.

Tournament dates are to be confirmed by World Rugby at the end of the month, but the Gold Coast has recently kicked off the nine-event series in October.

The Gold Coast attracted a weekend crowd of 20,546 last year, which ARU CEO Bill Pulver noted at the time was below expectations.

Crowds at the Wellington Sevens in the New Zealand capital last month for the fourth leg of the series were also well short of previous attendances.

It is a worrying sign for World Rugby given the push to raise the profile of the format leading into the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Sevens rugby will make its debut.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring Rugby Sevens to Sydney,” Pulver said in a statement on Monday.

“We truly believe that Sydney has the potential to match the excitement surrounding tournaments like Hong Kong, Twickenham and Wellington in terms of event experience and crowd numbers.”