English Premier League club Stoke City were drawn with Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in Group D of next month’s 16th HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens in Hong Kong. HKFA U-20 and Yau Yee League Select will also feature in the high-profile group at Hong Kong Football Club, which will host the international seven-a-side event from May 29-31 and was also the venue for Tuesday’s Official Draw. Newcastle United, the 2012 champions and 2013 runners-up, are the top seeds in Group A, which also features 2013 winners Leicester City, a Hong Kong Premier League club to be confirmed and Singapore Cricket Club. West Ham United, back for the first time since 2012, will face Hong Kong champions Kitchee – the 2011 winners and last year’s finalists – Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG and HKFC Captain’s Select in Group B. In Group C, five-time champions Aston Villa were drawn with first-timers Wellington Phoenix of New Zealand, a Hong Kong Premier League club and hosts Hong Kong Football Club. Citibank, which has title sponsored the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens since 2011, also confirmed a new four-year title sponsorship of the event from 2015 to 2018. In the Masters Tournament for over-35 players, Wallsend Boys Club and USRC - BTS were drawn as the top seeds in Group A, which also features Kitchee All Stars, Kowloon Cricket Club and HKFC Veterans. Seeds Citibank All Stars and Nottingham Forest Mobsters headline Group B, which includes SCC Tigers, Discovery Bay and HKFC Chairman’s Select. This year’s 10-team Masters Tournament has a new format, starting with two round-robin groups followed by the Cup semi-finals and final. Mark Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Football Association, said the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens held a special place in the local football calendar. “The HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens is one of the city’s most popular annual tournaments for local players and fans, and we expect another fantastic three days at Hong Kong Football Club,” Sutcliffe said. “Kitchee won the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens in 2011 and reached last year’s final, so we expect them to proudly represent the Hong Kong Premier League, while we’re also proud to have the HKFA U-20 team compete, especially after our national youth teams did so well last year to reach the quarter-finals.” Entry is free on the Friday evening, while tickets for the weekend are priced at HK$160 per day or HK$300 for a two-day pass and will be available through Cityline (www.cityline.com). The tournament will start with the opening round of Masters group games on Friday evening, May 29. - Duration is for reference only.