New women's Champions League to redistribute 24mn euros next season

UEFA will redistribute 24 million euros ($29 million) to clubs across Europe when the revamped women's Champions League kicks off next season, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday.

UEFA said the new format, which includes a 16-team group stage with centralised marketing and television coverage, will increase revenue while the distribution model also draws on a cross-subsidy from the men's competitions.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which has only been used in the final of the women's competition, will be used from the quarter-finals on from next season, UEFA said.

The cash redistribution amount is more than four times the current figure going to clubs across Europe. UEFA added that 23% of the amount will be distributed to non-participating clubs in Europe's top domestic leagues in the form of solidarity payments.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, fresh from seeing off the threat of a breakaway "Super League" by 12 elite clubs earlier this month, said the new system was a perfect example of how the model was key to the long-term development of women's football.

"The development of women's football should not be driven by short-term gain but a long-term vision," Ceferin said in a statement.

"Thanks to the solidarity payments at the heart of this project and the increased rewards, every last Euro generated by the women's Champions League and even more will go back into the women's game."

UEFA said the new model will allow teams competing in the group stage to receive at least 400,000 euros -- five times the amount teams currently earn in the last-16 -- while winners walk away with 1.4 million euros.