(Reuters) - Four of Europe's most prestigious football clubs will pioneer a revolutionary women's seven-a-side tournament next month with a lucrative $5 million prize pool at stake.
AFC Ajax Vrouwen, FC Bayern Women, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and Manchester United Women were unveiled as participants on Thursday by organisers of the inaugural World Sevens Football (W7F) series, scheduled for May 21-23 in Estoril, Portugal.
The tournament introduces a rapid-fire format featuring matches of two 15-minute halves played on half-sized pitches, with all games streamed globally by sports and entertainment platform DAZN.
"Innovation is a priority within our club," said Alex Kroes, Technical Director of Ajax. "World Sevens Football provides an exciting opportunity for our players to demonstrate their creativity and skill in a fast-paced format.
"We have a young and talented team with a lot of players from our own academy and we're ready to compete fiercely."
The tournament structure will see eight teams — with four more yet to be announced — divided into round-robin groups before advancing to knockout stages culminating in a final on the third day.
Bianca Rech, Director of Women's Football at Bayern, described the tournament as "an exciting opportunity," while home-country representatives Benfica welcomed the chance to showcase elite women's football on Portuguese soil.
"As a club that has consistently championed women's football in Portugal, we are proud to be part of this historic competition and welcome these incredible athletes and fans to our home country," said Fernando Tavares, Benfica's Vice President.
Manchester United's participation comes amid their ongoing domestic campaign, with head coach Marc Skinner noting: "This is a really exciting opportunity to be part of something new for the women's game.
"Our only focus right now is on finishing the domestic season as strongly as possible in the WSL and the FA Cup; then we can travel to Portugal to enjoy what promises to be an entertaining three days of fast, fun, seven-a-side football."
United are third in the league and hoping to retain the FA Cup when they face WSL leaders Chelsea at Wembley on May 18.
The sevens tournament is being positioned as a landmark moment for the women's game, with Adrian Jacob, W7F's Head of Football, stating: "World Sevens Football is about creating opportunities for women footballers that reflect their immense value and talent."
A Player Advisory Council featuring former internationals Tobin Heath, Anita Asante, Kelley O'Hara, Laura Georges, and Caroline Seger has been established to help guide the new event.
(Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Ken Ferris)
