Women’s soccer legends team up to launch global 7v7 soccer league

The GIST: With investment in women’s soccer on the rise globally, some of the sport’s brightest minds have teamed up to capitalize on its universal appeal in an adapted format. Yesterday, World Sevens Football (W7F) announced it would launch this May as a multi-city women’s soccer tournament.

• With a 7v7 format, shorter matches, and a whopping $5M prize pool per event, the tournament series is set for success not just because of soccer’s marketability, but because of the NWSL greats who are behind it. Legends.

The details: W7F rosters, fields, and halves are all shorter than the traditional professional version of the sport in hopes of maximizing action and engagement for fans. The first tourney is already slated for Portugal in May, with plans for W7F to tour the U.S., Mexico, Asia, and Europe.

• Jennifer Mackesy — a minority owner of NWSL’s Gotham FC and WSL’s Chelsea FC — co-founded the tournament alongside CEO Justin Fishkin. USWNT legend Aly Wagner will serve as chief of strategy and the league will be driven by an active Player Advisory Council led by former USWNT star Tobin Heath. Cheeky.

The partner: The tournament has already secured an extensive media partnership with UK sports broadcaster DAZN that includes worldwide broadcasting, production, and marketing. Fans worldwide will be able to catch matches live and stream behind-the-scenes content, making W7F a truly global endeavor.

Zooming out: Shorter-form tournaments are all the rage lately, from Unrivaled’s 3v3 competition to Athletes Unlimited’s unique format. Not only can these formats be appealing to fans, but sponsors are also drawn to the novelty and hype — Unrivaled managed to sign more than 20 partnerships in its inaugural season.

• W7F is hitting the ground running with experienced NWSL leadership at the helm and knowledgeable players influencing its structure. If this league could be soccer’s version of Unrivaled in the future, sponsors should hit the pitch now. Watch this space.