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For most Hongkongers, seven-a-side sporting tournaments mean only one thing: lashings of rugby, barrels of beer, crazy costumes and, perhaps, the odd streaker. But while the Rugby Sevens is famous around the globe, and certainly the biggest date on the Hong Kong sporting calendar, a far more modest tournament is quietly staking its claim for the attention of our quality-starved sports fans.

The catchy-titled HKFC Philips Lighting International Soccer Sevens has been growing steadily since its inception in 1999, attracting a larger crowd year-on-year with its mix of well-known former players and potential stars of the future. Under-21 teams from English Premiership heavyweights Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all graced the Hong Kong Football Club in recent years, while this year’s line-up includes promising squads from English sides Aston Villa and West Ham United, Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic, Dutch masters PSV Eindhoven, and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.

The format is simple, and not unlike the Rugby Sevens: teams play roundrobin matches in four-strong pools, and then play off in knockout matches to determine the winners. But, says tournament chairman Tony Bratsanos, the matches are a lot more hotly contested from the get-go than fans of the oval ball may be used to.

“The Rugby Sevens usually has too many one-sided games until you get down to the quarter finals,” he says. “The quality in the Soccer Sevens evens itself out better than in rugby. We’ve had an amateur team beat Celtic before, for example. Because the pitch is 80 percent of a full-size pitch and there’s no offside, it’s end-to-end action, with goals galore.”

In all, 32 teams will take part in the three-day event: 16 in the main competition and 16 in the Masters tournament. The main tournament is a chance for Hong Kong fans to get an up-close view of players on the cusp of hitting the big time: previous years have seen the likes of Glen Johnson, Gabriel Abonglahor, David Bentley and Shaun Maloney make a splash at the Sevens, before all going on to become Premiership regulars. Says Bratsanos: “These guys were spotty teenagers when they played here. We reckon there are about 35 guys playing top level football in Scotland or England who’ve been here as teenagers. It’s interesting what the coaches say. They say they learn more about a player when they bring them overseas than they do day-to-day. Here, you’ve got different climatic conditions, food, culture – and how they represent the club is very important to them.”

It’s not all foreign imports though – Bulova Rangers and Happy Valley have entered, while the HKFC and Yau Yee League will also be represented.

Complementing the main tournament is the Masters competition, which sees retired veterans attempting to recapture their glory days. This year’s crop includes stars of the ’80s and ’90s from French club Marseille, English side Southampton and Glasgow’s finest, Rangers, while the Barclays Wealth All-Stars team will include recognisable faces such as former Nottingham Forest and England defender Des Walker, and ex- Blackburn and Scotland striker Kevin Gallagher. Bratsanos himself is no stranger to the Masters game, having strutted his stuff alongside World Cup winners such as Mario Kempes, Andy Moeller and Pierre Littbarski in days gone by, although he insists he’s happy to leave it to the younger generation this year. His tips for the title: Aston Villa, with Marseille to edge out Rangers in the Masters.

In addition to the action on the pitch, there will be plenty of other attractions to entertain the kids; at what is a squarely family-focused event (children under 16 are admitted free all weekend). As well as autographsigning and face-painting zones, there will also be penalty-shoot out and skills competitions for kids to put into practice what they witness on the pitch. There’s also, of course, plentiful stocks of beer on tap for the adults. Mercifully at these sevens, strikers are far more common than streakers.

HKFC, Fri 23-Sun 25. Adults: $200 Sat & Sun, $120 one day, Friday free (under 16s go free all weekend).