Already a huge market in sports such as football, the sailing equivalent will pit the world's top sailing clubs against one another in order to determine the top team from across the globe.

Since its announcement just six weeks ago, 23 teams from 16 nations have already signed up to the league, with this figure expected to rise to 25.

"We are expecting 25 clubs from at least 17 nations", confirmed Oliver Schwall, managing director of the Sailing Champions League.

Throughout the Sailing Champions League, the participating clubs will sail according to the format of the national sailing leagues in Germany and Denmark on J/70 One Design boats.

In Copenhagen, 45 races are planned across three days, each of the races lasting between 12 and 15 minutes.

The introduction of the Sailing Champions League follows the successful establishment of national sailing leagues in Germany and Denmark.

The first league was the German Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga in 2013.

The format was the idea of marketing agency Konzeptwerft, in association with the leading German yacht clubs and the German Sailors' Association

The Sailing Champions League follows the format introduced by the German Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga, with 23 nations already registered for the inaugural event ©SAILINGChampionsLeague



"After a very short time, we received inquiries from all around Europe and even from the US and elsewhere outside Europe," explained Schwall.

"Denmark was the first country to adopt the German model.

"The logical conclusion of this development is to create the SAILING Champions League, which will become the European league for the champions of the leagues in each competing country."

All invited nations can send two representatives to the league.

The countries with an existing format for a national league are sending their top three from their premiere year.

The Danish are sending the top three from this year and the Germans those from last year.

"We are overwhelmed from the positive feedback", said Hans Natorp, President of the Danish Sailing Association.

"When leading yacht clubs of Europe and even from the US are showing such a big interest, we are convinced that our idea about national and international sailing leagues has a great future ahead."

The league is hosted by the German and Danish sailing leagues and the Royal Danish Yacht Club, with the European Sailing Federation a Patron for the event.

The inaugural Sailing Champions League will be held in Copenhagen Harbour's Inner Harbour from October 17 to 19.

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