KITCHENER, Ont. - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) has officially approved Women's Rugby Sevens for the 2016-17 varsity season at its Annual General Meetings in Kitchener on Thursday.

The new format will feature five colleges, including Conestoga (Kitchener), Humber (Etobicoke), Mohawk (Hamilton), Seneca (Markham) and Sheridan (Oakville).

A tournament-style league schedule has been adopted, with all games taking place on four separate days beginning Sept. 24 at Humber. Seneca, Conestoga and Mohawk host games on three dates in October.

Teams play each other four times (once per tournament site), with each outcome contributing to the regular season standings. Games consist of two seven-minute halves, played by seven players per side.

Sheridan plays host to the first-ever OCAA Women's Rugby Sevens Championship on Nov. 5, with semifinal games between the top four regular season teams leading into bronze and gold medal contests. Post-season games consist of two 10-minute halves.

Rugby Sevens was played at the recent Pan American Games in Toronto. The sport makes its Olympic debut later this year in Rio de Janeiro.

Traditional Women's Rugby (with 15 players per side) will continue to be played by Algonquin (Ottawa), Fleming (Peterborough), Loyalist (Belleville) and St. Lawrence (Kingston). These clubs will play a double round robin regular season schedule, hosting three games while traveling for three. Games consist of two 40-minute halves. All teams advance to the post-season, with semifinal games and bronze and gold medal contests being played at the home of the higher seed.

- OCAA -

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The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com