Ring of Stars crowns Women's Champions League

The logo and brand identity for the new UEFA Women's Champions League has been unveiled as part of the revamp of Europe's premier female club competition.

New competition
In December 2008, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to relaunch the UEFA Women's Cup as the UEFA Women's Champions League for the 2009/10 season and the new logo, known as the Ring of Stars, was revealed at the qualifying round draw on Wednesday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. The logo depicts eleven stars, representing a team of star players, in a ring to illustrate strength and unity while also resembling a crown. The visual identity shows a silhouette player striking a glass ball towards goal, symbolising the drive for success, while cameras flash in a modern stadium backdrop.

Showcase final
Fifty-three clubs from 44 nations will take part in the competition, which for the first time includes the runners-up from the top eight ranked nations, and has a round of qualifying mini-tournaments followed by a knockout phase from the last 32 onwards. The competition will conclude with a one-off final played two days prior to the UEFA Champions League final in the same city, as part of a week long celebration of football. The first UEFA Women's Champions League final will be held in Madrid on Thursday 20 May 2010 with London and Munich to follow in coming seasons.

'Rightful place'
Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA competitions director, said: "The UEFA Women's Cup is UEFA's most important women's club competition and is top quality women's club football. We believe that by changing the format, as well as the name and brand identity, as part of a competition repositioning this will increase its appeal and position it in its rightful place alongside UEFA's top men's club competition, the UEFA Champions League."