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)
National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman touted the newest addition to the league on Tuesday morning, with some star power added in the ownership ranks.
Berman and the NWSL awarded expansion rights to the league’s 14th franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area and an ownership group led by four former U.S. women’s national team players – Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner.
In an exclusive interview with Bay Area News Group after Tuesday morning’s announcement, Berman said she was thrilled to welcome the ownership group that is financially fronted by Sixth Street, a global investment firm firm led by Bay Area-based CEO Alan Waxman, and also includes others with Bay Area ties: former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and former Warriors president Rick Welts.
“This is a massive market of people who are thirsty for great sports,” Berman said. “Being able to witness professional women’s soccer on a consistent basis is something we’re really proud to bring to the Bay Area.”
Waxman and the four players’ excitement was palpable during their Zoom call after the move became official on Tuesday, as they realized what they had accomplished after nearly three years of work — but now have less than 10 months before training camp kicks off for their first season in 2024.
“I think I have had all of the feels a human can possibly have just today,” Slaton said. “There’s joy, there’s gratitude, excitement, a little bit of nerves and the weight of the responsibility that comes along with an opportunity as big as this.”
The yet-to-be-named team received love from each of the Bay Area’s six major professional sports teams on social media. That included the San Jose Earthquakes, whose home of PayPal Park is the premier soccer-specific stadium in the region and is considered the likely home of the NWSL team.
“This exciting project is led by a remarkable group of individuals and will continue to elevate passion and demand for soccer here in our local community,” Earthquakes president Jared Shawlee said in a statement sent to Bay Area News Group. “We look forward to supporting their efforts and growing this great sport.”
For now, it isn’t known where the team will play or even practice, though Waxman said that the team is committed to spend “whatever it costs” to build its own state-of-the-art training facility.
“We’re already looking for land in the Bay Area, so if you know of 20-30 acres around the Bay Area, we’d love to talk to you,” Waxman quipped.
Waxman seemed to nearly give away the team’s name before saying it will be “announced very shortly.” He also hinted at future additions to the front office soon to come and that they were committed to hiring a female CEO.
That person would join Wagner, who will be the co-chair of the club alongside Waxman, and the other three former USWNT players in the front office. Berman sees the former star players joining the ownership ranks as a positive trend for the league in its 11th year.
“They earned their seat at the table,” Berman said, noting that Carli Lloyd joined Gotham FC’s ownership and both Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm are investors for Angel City FC. “You’re just seeing professional women’s soccer players and U.S. national team legends wanting to be part of what we’re building at the NWSL. I think that is just as important an indicator, from our perspective at the league office, that we’re building this the right way and having their support, input and buy-in is really key to our future.”
But money talks, too, and the $53 million expansion fee – a record in women’s sports – was driven up by market forces, Berman said.
“It’s a huge stamp of approval and credibility to indicate where we are today,” the commissioner said. “But I think by all accounts, we’re just getting started.”
Originally published at Alex Simon