NWSL has announced a slate of improvements and changes to come to the league, including news on expansion, the implementation of VAR, and improvements to the league’s oft-criticized broadcasts.
The league held a two-day board of governors meeting in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, and in a statement to media today outlined the changes to come. Earlier on Wednesday, The Athletic reported that the 2022 NWSL Championship will be played at Audi Field in Washington, DC, though that was not confirmed by the league at this point.
“This week’s meetings have underscored what I have believed from my first day on the job: the NWSL will be the tip of the spear in driving transformational change in the professional sports landscape in this country,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a press release. “I’ve spent the first three months of my tenure with the league on a listening tour speaking with hundreds of stakeholders, from owners to partners to players to fans. The overwhelming theme was that while we have challenges to address, we have infinite opportunities to unlock our potential that will serve our players and the millions who support them around the world.”
While NWSL did not announce full details on their plans, they did announce that internally at least, the board of governors have outlined plans to boost their investment in improving officiating, a hot-button issue for fans and teams this season. Most notably, the league said VAR technology would be implemented starting with the 2023 season.
In the short term, a much-needed move to improve the quality of broadcasts will, according to NWSL, start in August of this year. Wednesday’s statement said that “the necessary resources to upgrade all Paramount+ and Twitch broadcasts” are coming, with better cameras, infrastructure, and additional staff all listed as part of the plan.
NWSL broadcasts have been intensely criticized by fans, with picture quality often falling below high-definition standards, even from venues where MLS matches do not run into the same issue.
NWSL—which confirmed that it will move its headquarters from Chicago to New York in September 2022—also reiterated plans to add two teams for the 2024 season, with investment firm Inner Circle Sports being brought aboard to “represent and advise” the league during that process.
Multiple cities reportedly have expansion bids brewing. ESPN previously reported that the rebirth of Utah Royals FC is a lock for one of those two spots. San Jose’s bid, spearheaded by four ex-U.S. women’s national team players, is well known, while groups in Atlanta, Austin, Cincinnati, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, and Toronto have all been reported to have expressed interest in bringing NWSL to town.
During this board of governors meeting, NWSL said that rules for the 2023 expansion process have been approved, and that the expansion draft rules will be announced in the future.
NWSL also announced growth in some key metrics, including a 24% year-over-year increase in streaming viewers on Paramount+ and Twitch, and an 87% increase in league sponsorship. The league says that paid attendance has doubled, though of course 2021’s numbers were impacted by concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic in a way that 2022’s have not been.
[lawrence-related id=4540,3976,3363]