Euro Winners Cup 2016 to feature Women’s competition

The fourth annual clubs tournament will take place for the third time in Catania, Italy in the summer of 2016 including a Women segment for the first time

Europe has been working hard to bolster the sport of beach soccer through clubs and women’s events and this upcoming year in Catania, both will be on full display. The Italian beach town has hosted the Euro Winners Cup twice before and the city is more than prepared for this seasons’ extravaganza. It will be the fourth edition of the tournament, with all of the previous successes taking place on Italian sand. The hosts will treat the public, players, officials, and fans to a great week of action in their superb facilities on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. The Sicilian tourist destination first hosted in the event in 2014 and then held the torch again for 2015 and now 2016 as well.

2016 will have an even stronger emphasis on the burgeoning women’s side of the sport and this will mark the first time that there will be a female tournament under the umbrella of the Euro Winners Cup. There are women’s national leagues all over Europe and this tournament will gather those best women’s clubs as they will be competing in the same format as their men counterparts, with the best clubs from around Europe being invited. Dates are to be confirmed but beachsoccer.com will have all the news and updates as they happen. Each country has their own league season and as the winners are crowned, beachsoccer.com will announce the growing list of invited teams.

One of Beach Soccer Worldwide’s strongest commitments is to put a lot of effort in developing Women competitions, and this new move is a very significant one in the growth of female competitions in the Beach Soccer global circuit.  

The Euro Winners Cup is a Champions League style competition, with the best clubs from all over Europe coming together for a winner-take-all Cup. Participating teams must be part of an established national league from Europe and they are the best teams from each country, with the more elaborate national leagues being  awarded more than one team. Italy has a very established, one of the best, club leagues and they will have three teams present in Catania, the winner and runner-up from the season as well as the hosts, Catania BS. Last season there were 28 teams in all, with a group stage separating some teams but the quarterfinals and semi-finals left only the two best teams in Europe standing, which happened to be BSC Kristall from Russia and the hosts, DomusBet Catania BS, eventually won by the Russian side.