Women’s Football Takes Centre Stage with World Sevens Football Competition
The World Sevens Football competition has kicked off on the Portuguese Riviera, bringing with it a fresh and exciting approach to the women’s game. The inaugural event, featuring eight top-tier teams, boasts a lucrative $5m prize pool, with the winners taking home $2.5m. According to The Guardian, the competition’s unique format and rules are designed to promote attacking play and entertainment, a stark contrast to traditional football’s more tactical and defensive approach.
In an interview with The Guardian, Hawa Cissoko, the France and Roma defender, expressed her delight in playing in the tournament, saying, “I think we took the game a bit more seriously at the beginning than Manchester [United].” She added, “I was really sad it was only one game today – I could play all day like this. We are here to have fun on the pitch.” This sentiment was echoed by Kerolin, the Brazilian player for Manchester City, who stated, “Everyone is like: ‘OK, we like these vibes.’ It’s a little bit Brazilian, I think. I like the ginga.” As The Guardian reports, the competition’s focus on fun and entertainment is a deliberate attempt to differentiate itself from traditional football.
The first day of the competition saw 18 goals scored in just four matches, with Manchester City’s Aoba Fujino scoring the first goal in their 4-0 win over Rosengård. The Guardian notes that the small-sided format and lack of offside rule have allowed players to showcase their flair, pace, and balance, making for an exciting and fast-paced game. Manchester City’s head coach, Nick Cushing, praised the organisers for creating a format that encourages attacking play, saying, “There’s attack in every moment of the game. It’s new, it’s exciting, it’s the way we believe the game should be played.”
The competition has attracted top-tier teams, including Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, and features some of the world’s best players. However, The Guardian reports that the attendances have been low, with only a few hundred spectators attending each game. Despite this, the organisers are optimistic about the event’s potential, with Jennifer Mackesy, a part-owner of the NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC, committing $100m over five years to the series.
As The Guardian notes, the competition’s format has raised concerns about player safety, particularly with the Euros just around the corner. However, players and coaches have expressed their confidence in the format, with Manchester United’s Grace Clinton saying, “We would only be doing this in training all week anyway; we would all have just been doing small-sided games.” Emilia Larsson of Rosengård added, “I don’t think the load on the game is much higher than a training week at home in Sweden.”
The World Sevens Football competition will continue to be broadcast on the streaming platform Dazn, with its YouTube stream attracting 161,283 views on the first day. As The Guardian reports, the success of this event will depend on its ability to attract a wider audience and prove that a fun and entertaining approach to women’s football can be a winning formula. With its unique format and rules, the World Sevens Football competition is an exciting development in the women’s game, and one that will be closely watched by fans and pundits alike.
In conclusion, the World Sevens Football competition has got off to a thrilling start, with The Guardian providing comprehensive coverage of the event. As reported by The Guardian, the competition’s focus on entertainment and attacking play has made for an exciting and fast-paced game, and it will be interesting to see how it develops over the coming days. With its lucrative prize pool and top-tier teams, the World Sevens Football competition is set to be a major talking point in the world of women’s football.
The event has already garnered significant attention, with many players and coaches praising the format and rules. As noted by The Guardian, the competition’s success will depend on various factors, including viewing figures and attendances. Nevertheless, the World Sevens Football competition has already made a significant impact on the women’s game, and it will be closely watched by fans and pundits alike.
According to The Guardian, the World Sevens Football competition is a bold experiment in the women’s game, and one that could have far-reaching consequences. With its unique format and rules, the competition is set to be a major talking point in the world of women’s football, and The Guardian will continue to provide comprehensive coverage of the event.
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