The nascent World Sevens Football (W7F) women’s soccer tournament has made a significant senior leadership appointment, hiring Claire Bloomfield as chief of football affairs and governance.
She will be responsible for leading relationships with federations, confederations, leagues, clubs, and player representatives, and support the next phase of W7F’s international growth “by ensuring strong alignment between sporting ambition, commercial objectives, and the evolving global football landscape.”
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In the new role, Bloomfield will steer the organisation’s approach to competition development and regulatory frameworks, ensuring that W7F is fully integrated into the women's soccer ecosystem.
The role also carries responsibility for implementing initiatives that safeguard integrity and financial sustainability while supporting innovation in competition formats and player pathways.
Sarah Cummins, World Sevens Football CEO, said: “Claire joins us at a pivotal inflection point for both our business and the wider women's game. As we expand our tournament footprint and deepen our relationships with clubs, leagues, and governing bodies, her leadership will be instrumental in building a sustainable, scaled global competition platform that delivers long-term commercial value for our partners and investors while keeping players and clubs at the centre of every decision we make.
“Her experience at the intersection of sporting, political, and commercial decision-making in women's football gives World Sevens Football a unique edge and will ensure that our governance framework protects the integrity of the competition, underpinning a compelling proposition for sponsors, broadcasters, and host cities for years to come.”
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By GlobalDataBloomfield is a well-known figure in global women's soccer with almost 20 years of experience in the industry, across roles at several English clubs and senior leadership positions in the European game.
Most recently, she served as head of women's football at the European Club Association (now European Football Clubs), where she led major reforms of the competition landscape, developed governance frameworks, and introduced professionalisation policies and initiatives.
She was credited with playing a key role in launching the ECA’s first women’s football strategy, twice reforming the Women’s Champions League in partnership with UEFA, and driving the creation of a second European competition – the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.
Bloomfield also worked with FIFA to evolve the international match calendar and secure the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. She has also done significant work on governance reform, with women’s clubs now holding seats on the ECA board for the first time.
On her new role, Bloomfield said: “After almost 20 years working across the industry, it’s exciting to encounter an organisation with both the ambition and conviction to genuinely reimagine the future of women’s football. W7F is prepared to think beyond established formats, act with intent, and turn vision into reality.”
“I’m thrilled to bring my experience to a highly talented, female-led leadership team, united by a shared belief in advancing the women’s game with credibility, purpose, and lasting global impact.”
The second edition of W7F took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month, debuting in the US.
The inaugural edition of W7F was held in May 2025 in Estoril, Portugal, with eight teams involved.
W7F was launched in March 2025. Clubs involved in the inaugural tournament included European soccer giants Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City, and the total event had a prize pot of $5 million.
Games are played on a pitch half the size of those used for 11-per-side action and last for 30 minutes in total, split into two 15-minute halves.
The second tournament also featured eight teams, all from outside Europe. The participating teams were Kansas City Current and San Diego Wave FC (United States), Club América and Club Tigres (Mexico), Flamengo (Brazil), Deportivo Cali (Colombia), AFC Toronto (Canada), and Nacional (Uruguay).
