The new World 7s Series caused a stir in the women’s game when it rocked up with a new format of the sport last year.
First held in Portugal in May, the new 7v7 version of the game brought together bizarre team entries, weird and whacky celebrations, but some of the biggest club and player names in the European game, such as Bayern Munich, Ajax, Benfica, and Manchester’s City and United.
Its second version, held in Miami over the winter, was more USA/Mexico-centric, meaning it went a little more under the radar in Europe, but watching closely was the Saga Sports Group, more specifically Danish duo Bettina Kuperman and Majken Gilmartin, co-founders of the Sensational League, another new 7v7 competition coming initially to Copenhagen in April.
It won’t have the star-studded names of the World 7s, but in many ways the concept is more intriguing.
This is a longer-term concept, with players drafted to the initial eight teams by the eight team captains, trials for players who have applied in January, a pre-season in February and March, and games from April all the way through to the finals in August.
It will mix sport and entertainment in a way the women’s game hasn’t seen before, will be played with a football designed specifically for female players, broadcast live on YouTube, and crucially ensuring every player will be paid a proper wage for their participation.
The Sensational League’s website puts it simply, “Champions are crowned for winning matches, growing their following, and amplifying women’s sports through community projects.”
“They [World 7s] have a very model to ours,” says Kuperman, who has worked on bids for Olympics’ and European Championships, as well as for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
“They have set a grand slam model, tapping into the existing sport model, building something for the top clubs, and while that is great, I’ve worked in organised sport for 25 years and it is a system where change happens very slowly, which is why we’ve gone with a disruptor format.
“We’re doing something different. Our entire IP is more the icon/ballers league space, or maybe unrivalled basketball is much closer to what we are doing, filling that gap between a disruptor format and digitally driven leagues, with an eye on female fanbases, a very under-served fan segment of a very, very big consumer group – women who like sports.
“There’s a lot of us, even if people want to pretend we’re not there, and we’re very, very passionate about sport.”
Kuperman and Gilmartin have worked in international sport for almost three decades and after years abroad came came together again 18 months ago, quickly deciding this was a place in the market they could exploit and build something for the long-term.
Why they are doing it is something Kuperman is only too happy to go into great detail about.