RICHMOND, Va.--CAA Football on Thursday announced a league-wide partnership with Be The Match, which manages the largest and most diverse bone marrow donor registry in the world. The efforts will be headlined by CAA Football's 'Be The Match Saturday' on Oct. 31.

CAA Football will join with Be The Match in its efforts to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors, increase the number of young, committed potential donors in the registry, and ultimately save lives.

Multiple league schools have already teamed with Be The Match and its 'Get in the Game, Save a Life' program, and a number of student-athletes have previously been identified as matching marrow donors. A marrow transplant can be a cure for more than 70 different diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.

Villanova head coach Andy Talley has been associated with Be The Match for over 20 years and he continues to host an annual donor registry drive on campus each year. Since 1992, Talley's efforts have resulted in over 52,000 potential donors being successfully tested and entered into the registry. Most importantly, 220 patients in need of a transplant have received a second chance at life thanks to a 'Get in the Game, Save a Life' donor.

"The work already being done by many CAA Football coaches and student-athletes has been truly inspiring," said CAA Football commissioner Tom Yeager. "We're humbled by the opportunity to broaden the relationship with Be The Match across the entire conference.

"College football has an influential platform," added Yeager. "Through our work with Be The Match and 'Get in the Game, Save a Life', we believe that platform can be used to save lives."

CAA Football's Be The Match Saturday will take place on a national stage. Three of the league's games on Oct. 31, including the Wildcats home game against Maine, will be televised across the country ââ'¬" two on NBCSN, and one on ASN. The networks will participate by educating viewers about the Be The Match mission and on how to join the registry. The Villanova-Maine game can be seen that night on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m.

In addition, coaches and other sideline personnel will wear Be The Match patches, and in-stadium announcements will further communicate details to fans in attendance.

This spring, all 12 CAA Football schools plan to participate in the Get in the Game, Save a Life program by holding Be The Match donor registration drives on campus.

"We are thrilled to partner with CAA Football to expand the Get in the Game, Save a Life program and increase awareness of the need for more people to join the registry as potential marrow donors," said Elizabeth Tornell, Senior Programs and Partnership Specialist at Be The Match. "Every athlete and fan that participates will make a tremendous difference. Together we can inspire hope and deliver more cures for patients."

Be The Match registers potential bone marrow donors and pairs them with patients diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers. The organization also provides financial assistance to patients and their families, educates doctors, and supports research to advance the science of marrow transplants.

The Get in the Game, Save a Life program partners with college athletes and coaches to host marrow donor registry drives on college campuses. In 2014 alone, 38 colleges and universities participated in the program and recruited nearly 9,000 new potential marrow donors.

To join the Be The Match Registry, visit https://join.bethematch.org/caafootballwins.