The Elite Insurance Sevens Series will be officially launched at Franklin's Gardens on Friday, March 8th with the Northamptonshire regional tournament. Further regional tournaments will take place at Shelford RFC (Cambridgeshire; Tuesday, March 12th), Bedford Athletic RFC (Bedfordshire; Tuesday, March 19th) and Sudbury RFC (Suffolk; Wednesday, March 20th), with Finals Day back at Franklin's Gardens on Thursday, April 25th.
Eight boys teams and four girls teams have confirmed their places at the Northamptonshire regional tournament. Six teams will compete in Cambridgeshire, the same number as in Bedfordshire. But the biggest regional tournament will be in Suffolk, where 15 teams have signed up.
Confirmed entrants are:
Northamptonshire
Boys' teams - Winchester House School, Campion School, Sponne School, Bishop Stopford School, Kettering Buccleugh Academy, Great Houghton School, Northampton School for Boys and Spratton Hall School
Girls' teams - Old Northamptonians RFC, Towcestrians RFC, Olney RFC and Kettering RFC
Cambridgeshire
Soham Village College, The Perse School, Ely College, Swavesey Village College, The Manor Community College and Newmarket College
Bedfordshire
Rushmoor School, St Gregory's Middle School, Robert Bloomfield Middle School, Harrold Primary School, Lincroft School and Bedford School
Suffolk
Hartismere School, Bungay High School, Great Cornard Middle School, Holbrook High School, Hadleigh High School, Uplands Middle School, Great Yarmouth High School, Woodbridge School, Pakefield School, Debenham High School, St Joseph's College, Moreton Hall, Farlingay High School, Colchester Royal Grammar School and Headingham School
The winners and runners-up from each regional tournament will then go on to Finals Day.
"We've been very pleased with the uptake for the first ever Elite Insurance Sevens Series," said Saints community officer Rowland Winter, who is managing the tournament.
"To have forty teams signed up shows that there is a massive appetite for competitive rugby in the East of England, which is fast becoming a hotbed of the sport and an important source of talent for both the Saints and England.
"It is certainly a good starting point for the Elite Insurance Sevens Series to grow in coming seasons, but before that we are looking forward to some good action in March and April as we look to crown our first ever champion."
Elite Insurance chief executive Jason Smart added: "Our commitment to sponsor the event epitomises how we do business, we are always looking to develop and nurture opportunities within the marketplace, innovative thinking, flexibility and a 'can do' attitude is at the heart of all we do."
The official Elite Insurance Sevens Series Facebook page will be launched on March 8th, and will include exclusive pictures and video from the tournament.
