[CHICAGO, IL] The Midwest Rugby Union (MWRU) is excited to announce details for the 2023 Midwest 7s Series, one of the most robust and competitive competitions in the country. This year, several changes have been made which the Union believes will further grow this exciting variation of rugby in the Midwest.

Here’s the schedule for the 2023 Series:

• Saturday, June 17^th – Bloodfest 7s in Austin, TX – Central Region Open Event*
• Saturday, June 24^th – Gem City 7s in Dayton, OH – Eastern Men and All Women
• Saturday, June 24^th – Block Party 7s in Iowa City, IA – Western Men
• Saturday, July 8^th – Firehouse 7s in Lemont, IL – All Midwest/ Central Region Open Event*
• Saturday, July 29^th – Cin City 7s in Cincinnati, OH – Midwest Championship

CENTRAL REGION OPEN EVENTS

To standardize competition across the country and provide a mechanism to compare teams between geographic regions, the Midwest was placed into the “Central Region” with the Red River Rugby Conference (Texas) by USA Club Rugby/ Senior Club Council. The intent is to strongly encourage, but not require, MWRU sides vying for Club Nationals to attend one Red River Tournament (Bloodfest 7s in Austin, TX) and for Red River sides to attend a Midwest Tournament (Firehouse 7s in Chicago). This will allow participating sides to play against unfamiliar teams while also providing Club Rugby administrators comparative data to assist in determining how to award at large bids to Nationals and how to seed those teams that earn a bid to Nationals via their Union’s competitive pathway. Results from the Open Events will not count in the other competitions’ Series standings; therefore, results from Bloodfest 7s will not count for the Midwest Series.

MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIP

The location and makeup of the Championship will be familiar to participating teams as the MWRU has once again selected Brimelow Fields, the beautiful home of the Cincinnati Wolfhounds, to host the Championship Event. The Wolfhounds have done a wonderful hosting several of the last Championship Events before it was moved to Chicago last year. The format of the Championship is also the same as previous years where the top eight (8) women’s sides and the top four (4) men’s sides from the Eastern and Western Conferences will earn spots.

What’s new is how the Series Championship itself will be awarded. In years past, the winner of the Championship Event was the winner-take-all Champion of the Midwest Series. This year, again in alignment with USA Club Rugby, the Series Champion will be team that earns the highest amount of cumulative Series Points earned over the course of the three-round Series.

TEAM REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Also new this year is how teams will register and pay for the Series. In years past, teams would enter their side at each individual event and pay the host organizers a capped entry fee. This year, all teams are required to register for the entire Series upfront and pay a Series Fee to the MWRU of $800 (plus fees when applicable).

Teams must register here from May 1^st through June 1^st. All Series Fees must be paid in full by June 10, 2023. No exceptions. Teams may pay via PayPal, Venmo, or check.

Due to this set up, the Series is not open to additional teams from the same club unless that club intends to keep that secondary team separate from the primary team for the duration of the Series. This would make that second side also eligible for Nationals should they be vying for a bid. If specific tournaments have room in the Qualifier Event for secondary sides, those spots will be made available on a case-by-case basis. Second sides can be entered by paying the host organization directly a $325 fee and that roster must be kept separate from the primary side for the duration of the Qualifier Event. Registration for second sides at each Qualifier Tournament closes two (2) weeks prior to the event and again is only available on a case-by-case basis.

Additional Series information, including eligibility changes host organization responsibilities can be found in the updated 2023 Midwest 7s Series Handbook. In the meantime, questions can be directed to admin@midwest.rugby.