Women's Professional Soccer
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This article contains information about a future sporting event or team, and is likely to contain information of a speculative nature. The content may change as the event approaches and more information becomes available. |
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| Countries | United States |
|---|---|
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Number of teams | 7 (2009) 10 (2010) |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| TV partners | Fox Soccer Channel Fox Sports Net |
| Website | womensprosoccer.com |
| 2009 season |
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Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States that will begin play in Spring 2009. The league will replace the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), which folded after the 2003 season. WPS will field teams in the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. in 2009 and will add Atlanta, Philadelphia, and the delayed Dallas franchise for 2010.
The league, which had gone by the working name "Women's Soccer, LLC", announced its name and logo in January 2008.
Contents |
[edit] 2009 Teams
| Team | Stadium | City | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Professional Soccer | |||
| Boston Breakers | Harvard Stadium | Boston, Massachusetts | 2000[1] |
| Chicago Red Stars | Toyota Park | Bridgeview, Illinois (Chicago area) | 2008 |
| FC Gold Pride | Buck Shaw Stadium | Santa Clara, California (Bay Area) | 2008 |
| Los Angeles Sol | The Home Depot Center | Carson, California (Los Angeles area) | 2008 |
| St. Louis Athletica | Ralph Korte Stadium | Edwardsville, Illinois (St. Louis area) | 2008 |
| Sky Blue FC | Yurcak Field | Piscataway, New Jersey (New York area) | 2008 |
| Washington Freedom | Maryland SoccerPlex | Boyds, Maryland (Washington area) | 2001 |
[edit] Future expansion
- Atlanta (2010)[2]
- Philadelphia (2010)[3]
- Dallas Sting (2010)[4]
[edit] Planning
After the folding of Women's United Soccer Association, which played its third and final full season in 2003, WUSA Reorganization Committee was formed in September of that year. The committee led to the founding in November 2004 of the non-profit organization, Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc. (WSII), whose stated goal was "promoting and supporting all aspects of women's soccer in the United States", including the founding of a new professional league.[5]
Attempts to relaunch WUSA in full fell through in 2004 (when the league's member teams played the WUSA Festival instead) and 2005.[6] In June 2006, WSII announced the relaunch of the league for the 2008 season.[7] In December 2006, the organization announced that it reached an agreement with six owner-operators for teams based in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Washington, DC, and a then-unnamed city (Boston and New York/New Jersey were announced later).[8] On May 27, 2008, the league announced that it would expand to Philadelphia for the 2010 season, with the franchise likely sharing facilities with the expansion Major League Soccer franchise. Despite being the eighth named team, the league is still considering adding an eighth team to play in the league's inaugural season.[9] As of August 9, 2008, the eighth team for the inaugural season was tentatively announced as being located in San Diego.[10]
In September 2007, the launch was pushed back from Spring of 2008 to 2009 to avoid clashing with 2007 Women's World Cup and the 2008 Olympic Games and to ensure that all of the teams were fully prepared for long-term operations.[11]
On January 17, 2008, the new name, Women's Professional Soccer, and logo featuring the silhouette of retired player Mia Hamm were announced.[12]
[edit] Business model
WSII CEO Tonya Antonucci said that unlike WUSA, which had higher expectations and employed a top-down model, WPS would take "a local, grass roots approach", and "a slow and steady growth type of approach", citing WUSA's losses of close to $100 million.[6] She said the new league would have a closer relationship with Major League Soccer, the top men's professional league in the United States, to cut costs on staff and facilities, and for marketing.
The team budgets for the inaugural season will be $2.5 million.[13]
[edit] Player allocation
Player allocation began on September 16 2008, after the Beijing Olympics in August, when WPS announced the allocation of 21 US national team players, three players per each, to the seven teams that begin play in 2009.[14] In addition to preferences of players and teams, the league considered regional ties, as well as past team affiliations. Lori Chalupny (St. Louis), Heather O'Reilly and Christie Rampone (New Jersey), Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox and Aly Wagner (Los Angeles), and Ali Krieger (Washington) all grew up near their teams; Chicago's Kate Markgraf lives in the area (and played for Notre Dame, within two hours' drive); and Bay Area's Leslie Osborne, Rachel Buehler, and Nicole Barnhart played for colleges in the region.[14] Former Boston Breakers players Kristine Lilly and Angela Hucles previously played for the team in the WUSA, and Abby Wambach and Krieger previously played for Washington Freedom in the WUSA and the W-League, respectively.[15]
A week later, on September 24 2008, the league held an international player draft, in which the seven teams selected four international players each.[16] Four of the first five selections, first pick Formiga (Bay Area), Marta (#3, Los Angeles), Daniela (#4, St. Louis), and Cristiane (#5, Chicago) were Brazilian,[17] and a total of 10 Brazilian players were selected. England's Kelly Smith (#2, Boston) and Japan's Homare Sawa (#6, Washington), and Australia's Sarah Walsh rounded out the first round.[18] By drafting a player, a team gained the right to negotiate with the player upon receiving permission from her current club, or if she was in the last six months of her contract. The draft order was based on a weighted ranking determined by a vote of league coaches following the U.S. women's national team allocation.[16]
A general draft was held on October 6 2008, and is to be followed by a combine for college seniors and undrafted players in December 2008 and a post-combine draft in January 2009, and local tryouts by individual teams in February 2009. [19]
[edit] Media Coverage
Fox Soccer Channel will air weekly Sunday night matches & the WPS All-Star Game with Fox Sports Net to air the semifinal and league championship contests. The national television contract will be in effect through the 2011 season with an option for 2012.[20]
[edit] References
- ^ "History". WomensProSoccer.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ Women's Professional Soccer (August 11, 2008). Atlanta to host Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) team in 2010. Press release. http://www.womensprosoccer.com/newsitem_ektid4218.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
- ^ Women's Professional Soccer (May 27, 2008). Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) plans to expand to Philadelphia in 2010, bringing league to eight teams. Press release. http://www.womensprosoccer.com/newsitem_ektid2884.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
- ^ "Sting seeks Dallas home for women's league season". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2008-08-07.
- ^ "An Introduction to Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc.". Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
- ^ a b Ziegler, Mark (2007-01-10). "Will WUSA live again?"", San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ Porteus, Liza (June 28, 2006). "U.S. Women's Pro League Prepares to Blast Back Onto Soccer Scene", Fox News.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff (June 28, 2006). "Relaunch of WUSA set for spring 2008", Soccernet.
- ^ "Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) plans to expand to Philadelphia in 2010, bringing league to eight teams". Women's Professional Soccer (2008-05-28).
- ^ "San Diego Finalizing WPS Ownership Group". Women's Professional Soccer (2008-08-09).
- ^ "Women's pro soccer team put on hold", St. Louis Business Journal (2007-09-23).
- ^ "Hamm's imprint made on new women's soccer league", USA Today (2008-01-18).
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (June 18 2008). "http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/soccer/20080618-9999-1s18soccer.html", San Diego Uninon-Tribune.
- ^ a b Dure, Beau (September 16 2008). "Wambach goes full circle as women's league stocks rosters", USA Today.
- ^ Green, Zalika (September 16 2008). "Women's Professional Soccer U.S. national team allocation results", The Washington Examiner.
- ^ a b Boston Breakers (September 25 2008). Coach DiCicco Targets Attacking Flair in WPS International Draft. Press release. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3721348.
- ^ "Brazilians dominate women's international draft", Soccer America (September 25 2008).
- ^ "Brazilian stars selected in women's draft", Associated Press (September 24 2008).
- ^ Women's Professional Soccer (2008-07-08). Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Announces Post-Olympics Timeline for National Player Allocation, Team Tryouts. Press release. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS128534+08-Jul-2008+PRN20080708.
- ^ "Fox Soccer Channel Nets WPS Pact: Multiyear Partnership Provides For Live Women's Game Of Week; Comcast Could Provide Regional Carriage", Multichannel News (2008-08-06).
[edit] See also
- other women's top pro-level North American sports leagues
- National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
- National Women's Hockey League (NWHL)
- Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
- Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)
- Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL)
[edit] External links
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