The new National Women's Soccer League team is coming to the Bay Area, thanks in part to (from left) Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton's efforts. (Photo courtesy of Allison+Partners Studio)
The Bay Area hasn’t had a major professional women’s sports team since 2010.
But that’s officially changed with Tuesday’s announcement of an NWSL team arriving in time for the 2024 season, led by a star-studded ownership group.
Here’s what you need to know about the new club, the league it will play in and the Bay Area’s history with women’s sports:
Q: What is the NWSL?
The National Women’s Soccer League was founded in 2012 with eight teams. The league’s attempts at growth sputtered in the 2010s, with two teams folding and two relocations, but the league reached 10 full teams in 2021 and 12 in 2022, with two new California expansion teams to Los Angeles and San Diego.
Both of those clubs shined in their first season, with San Diego Wave FC setting a league attendance record with 32,000 fans at a September match and Angel City FC reportedly raising enough money to receive a $100 million valuation.
Q: What is the name of our team and where will it play?
The team says it will announce its name and branding — like team colors, logos and merchandise — in the weeks ahead. Its home stadium has not been announced, though the club is likely to play at San Jose’s PayPal Park, home of the Earthquakes.
Q: Who are the teams and what are their homes?
The current 12 teams in the league are:
Angel City FC (Los Angeles); Chicago Red Stars; Houston Dash; Kansas City Current; NJ/NY Gotham FC; North Carolina Courage; OL Reign (Seattle); Orlando Pride; Portland Thorns FC; Racing Louisville FC; San Diego Wave FC; and Washington Spirit.
In 2024, the league will add: Utah Royals FC and Bay Area NWSL team (Location to be determined).
Q: When does the NWSL season start, and when does it end?
The NWSL season begins in mid-to-late March and runs through November. Teams play each of the other 11 teams in the league twice, once home and once away. It is not known if the league will keep the balanced schedule in 2024.
Q: Does the NWSL have any other competitions?
Yes. Similar to most other soccer leagues, the NWSL Challenge Cup is a separate competition from the regular season and has its own structure, trophy and financial incentives. Contested in various formats since 2020, this year matches will be played all throughout the regular season, with the semifinals set for Sept. 6 and a championship match scheduled for Sept. 9. The payouts for the winners will reportedly match the men’s U.S. Open Cup competition and give $300,000 to the winning squad.
Q: What is the playoff format? How many teams make the playoffs and how many rounds are there?
Six of the league’s 12 teams make the three-round playoffs. The top two teams in the regular season receive a bye to the semifinals. Each playoff round is a single match to determine the winner, with penalty kicks used as a tiebreaker. The championship match is played at a predetermined site, though the 2023 location has not yet been announced.
Q: Who is the reigning league champion?
The Portland Thorns, who won their league-high third championship last fall.
Q: Where is the league headquarters?
The league opened its office in New York City earlier this year.
Q: Who is the league commissioner?
Jessica Berman, who took the position last April.
Q. Does the NWSL have a TV contract?
The NWSL’s television rights deal with CBS worth a reported $4.5 million over three years expires after this year, and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed the league is already in discussions with other potential bidders.
The few nationally televised NWSL matches have had similar or better ratings and viewership numbers than the top men’s league in the U.S., Major League Soccer. But MLS just started a deal with Apple to have its entire media rights viewership placed on Apple’s streaming platform, AppleTV+, for $250 million a year.
Q: How many women’s soccer players have Bay Area ties?
A lot. On the U.S. women’s national team alone, nine of the 26 players on their current roster for matches next week against Ireland has two Bay Area natives (Tierna Davidson of Menlo Park/Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton and Naomi Girma of San Jose/Pioneer) and nine who played college soccer locally. The Bay Area also has some of the best collegiate women’s soccer teams, as both Santa Clara and Stanford have won national championships in the past five years.
Q: What’s the Bay Area’s history with women’s sports?
The franchise will be the first major women’s professional team in the Bay Area since FC Gold Pride played for two seasons in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league from 2009-2010. Before that, the San Jose CyberRays of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) played for three seasons (2001-2003).
Elsewhere in women’s sports, the San Jose Lasers played parts of three years in the American Basketball League before that league folded during the 1998 season and San Francisco Pioneers played in the Women’s Pro Basketball League for two years (1979-1981). There has not been a Bay Area WNBA team in the league’s 27 years of existence. While there are multiple interested parties in a potential WNBA expansion team, the league has remained at 12 teams for more than a decade now.
Originally published at Alex Simon