| Birth name | Edward Haig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 December 1858 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Jedburgh, Scottish Borders, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 29 March 1939 (aged 80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Melrose, Scottish Borders, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ned Haig (7 December 1858 in Jedburgh, Scotland – 29 March 1939 in Melrose, Scotland, buried in Wairds Cemetery, Melrose, Scotland) was a butcher and rugby union player notable for founding the sport of rugby sevens. He moved to Melrose when he was young. There he took up rugby (now rugby union) and joined Melrose Rugby Football Club (RFC) in 1880. In 1883 Haig suggested hosting a sports tournament to help raise money for the Melrose RFC and came up with the idea of playing with seven rather than 15 a side and reducing the match length to 15 minutes (from 80 minutes).