The NWSL wants to get some shovels into the ground
The NWSL has taken major strides in recent years, but still considers club infrastructure improvements to be a major priority.
That stance is from league commissioner Jessica Berman, who discussed the topic while speaking to reporters on Friday, one day ahead of the 2023 Challenge Cup final.
Asked about the importance of NWSL clubs reducing the potential conflicts that arise when sharing a stadium or training facility with another organization, Berman called infrastructure “probably the hardest problem to solve long-term, and one of the most important problems for us to solve as soon as possible.”
Berman said that the NWSL would be taking an aggressive stance to tackle that challenge, particularly in moments when clubs change hands.
“Every time we have an opportunity to right-size the investment in infrastructure in a market — which would typically happen when a team is being sold, or in an expansion context — we will do everything in our power to create the right incentives to be able to have an opportunity for the ownership group to invest in infrastructure,” said Berman.
NWSL’s pursuit of infrastructure a practical concern
At the moment, no NWSL team plays in its own dedicated stadium, while only the Kansas City Current train at a purpose-built facility.
The Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, and Portland Thorns play at venues controlled by club ownership, but in all three cases must jockey for time alongside MLS clubs. Racing Louisville and the North Carolina Courage are in a similar boat, with the men’s club in those cases playing in the USL Championship or USL League One.
The Current, along with Angel City FC, NJ/NY Gotham FC, and the Washington Spirit, rent out an MLS club’s home venue, a number that will climb by two in 2024 as Bay FC and the Utah Royals join the league. Three more (the Chicago Red Stars, OL Reign, and San Diego Wave) are tenants in stadiums controlled by a municipality, an NFL team, and a university, respectively.
That leaves many practical difficulties. Some clubs train well outside the city they play in, creating a literal distance that can be difficult to bridge in terms of coverage and connection. MLS clubs understandably want to play at the best possible times in their home stadiums, which has contributed to some scheduling headaches over the years.
Berman pointed out that while the league does have more leverage when a sale comes to pass, the NWSL will also encourage existing owners to put shovels in the ground whenever they can.
“You’re seeing that happen even without the forcing function of a team being sold,” explained Berman. “[Spirit owner] Michele Kang, that’s a great example. I have no doubt she will find a way to get a training facility — and potentially even a stadium built — so that she can optimize her place in the D.C. metro market… In the context of the Bay Area, [Bay FC’s ownership] have desires to build their own stadium and are actually contractually committed to building a new training facility.”
Bay FC pledged a total of $125 million, of which $72 million is investment in the club itself, including a training facility. Washington is actively pursuing a facility that would include an innovation lab for women’s sports, while on Friday Utah television station KSL reported that Royals ownership will break ground on a training facility in October.
Developments like those are music to Berman’s ears, as the commissioner reiterated that the league wants to guide teams in that direction whenever possible.
“In every circumstance that we can, when we have an opportunity to intercede in the context of a change in control of an incumbent team, we will continue to make that a priority and create the incentives so that the investment is going into long-term infrastructure.”
NWSL expects two historic clubs to change hands in the near future
Two of the NWSL’s seemingly intractable situations are apparently nearly solved.
The league’s commissioner Jessica Berman says that sales of the Portland Thorns and OL Reign are on course to be finished by the end of 2023.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday’s Challenge Cup final between the North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville, Berman said both the Thorns and Reign had received formal interest from multiple parties, with this week marking a preliminary deadline for potential buyers to submit bids.
“Portland and the Reign are still for sale, and those processes are underway. This week was a preliminary deadline for both of those teams in their respective and independent sales processes,” said Berman. “Both have achieved multiple bidders being interested, and we still expect for both of those transactions to close by the end of the calendar year.
“We continue to work very closely with the incumbent owners both in Portland and in Seattle to ensure that the new ownership group meets the standards and criteria for the league.”
Berman offered some details on each club’s status, which she said involved “slightly different” situations.
“I’ll start with sort of the ordinary circumstance when a team is being sold. That’s probably most similar to what’s happening with the Reign,” explained Berman. “Until a team is sold, the incumbent ownership group, of course, retains all rights and obligations on behalf of their franchise. So, from a governance perspective, from a management perspective, the expectation is that they will continue to operate in the ordinary course of business.
“So, it’s really business as usual from the Reign’s perspective, in that the individuals who have been managing and governing the team are the same individuals that existed previously. So, there really has not been a change in circumstance in terms of how the club is being operated.”
In other words, Lyon — still technically under the control of a group fronted by U.S. businessman John Textor — is running the show with the Reign until the NWSL club’s sale is finalized and approved. That means that the OL Groupe still has a seat on the NWSL Board of Governors, as is customary for club owners.
That issue is the discrepancy between the two different sales, as Berman broke down.
“From a Portland perspective, obviously that situation is unique because we carry forward the aftermath of Merritt [Paulson] having stepped off the Board of Governors,” said the commissioner. “In terms of the business of the club [being different from the Reign], the one change is that Merritt is not on our board.”
Berman clarified that Portland does still have a representative on the Board of Governors, but declined to specify who that would be, citing the possibility of breaking league rules. The Athletic reported that the Thorns are represented by club CEO Heather Davis, who was appointed to that role by Paulson in January 2023.
NWSL clubs in a new era
The profile of owners and ownership groups within the NWSL has changed dramatically over the last two-plus years. From the moment Kang went through with her $35 million acquistion of the Spirit — a club that at the time trained at a high school in the Virginia suburbs and played nearly half of its games on turf at unloved exurban venue Segra Field — valuations have gone through the roof.
Another recent sale saw the Chicago Red Stars, possibly the most distressed asset in NWSL, sell for $35.5 million, with $25 million of further investment promised by an ownership group lead by Chicago Cubs and Chicago Sky part-owner Laura Ricketts. Expansion side Bay FC, meanwhile, reportedly pledged $125 million in total investment, including a $53 million expansion fee and a guarantee to build a dedicated training facility.
With deep-pocketed ownership in place with Angel City FC, the Kansas City Current, and San Diego Wave and improved investment in clubs like NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage (both of which have within the last two years brought in stars from other sports as investors), the days where a team would sell for small potatoes are over.
The Current allegedly didn’t even provide Minniss with food during her brief time with the team
The Kansas City Current mistreated draft pick Mykiaa Minniss to such an extent that it made her hate soccer, according to her mother.
Kansas City selected Washington State defender Minniss with the 35th overall pick in this year’s draft.
But in a post on Twitter, Nicole Minniss said that her daughter was treated “less than professional” in a brief stint with the Current. According to Nicole, Mykiaa had to pay for her own flight to Kansas City to report for training camp as well as her own food while she was there. She said she received “little to no feedback” on her performance before she was eventually cut.
Nicole said that Mykiaa would then end up in camp with the Orlando Pride, which she said treated her “exceptionally,” calling it a “night and day experience” compared with Kansas City. After a few days, however, Mykiaa left the Pride to focus on her mental health.
“Watching my daughter lose her passion, and now hate the sport that was her first love has been one of the hardest things I have had to watch her go through,” Nicole said.
The NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement states that teams must provide a per diem or meals to unsigned draft picks during training camp. There is not any specific language around paying for travel.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman happened to be in Kansas City on Saturday for the Current’s home opener (which they lost 4-1 to Portland) and addressed the complaint in remarks to the media.
“When I landed, I called [NWSLPA executive director] Meghann Burke. I spoke to [Current owners] Angie and Chris Long. We were on the phone very early this morning, all parties together.”
“We share a commitment in that we all take this really seriously,” Berman added. “We want to understand what happened in this circumstance. We’re incredibly sad that was her experience, and we want to see how we can improve in the future and learn from this.
“So I have a lot of confidence with the people that are around the table, both proactively to create positive environments, as well as for the people who are prepared to be responsive in real time when there are challenges and we’re committed to seeing it through.”
Hudson is the first ex-player ever hired by the league office
Strategy is by its very nature based on longer-term thinking, and for most of its history, the NWSL for multiple reasons hasn’t been equipped to be truly strategic. Resources couldn’t be spared for the future, the vanishingly small front office for the league (not to mention most clubs) didn’t have the time to work on projects beyond what was needed for a given single season, and in plenty of cases, those involved frankly weren’t particularly inclined towards strategic thinking.
However, as the league has started to find firm enough ground to stand on, things are starting to change. Commissioner Jessica Berman has justifiably touted a doubling of league staff, a sign that the league has the money and wherewithal to spread its myriad tasks out, and get more things done.
One of those new hires is also the first-ever former NWSL player to take a job with the league itself. Carlin Hudson, who spent four seasons in the league with the North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit, was hired last year as the NWSL’s new director of strategy. A league press release described her role as one that “will oversee the facilitation and execution of the NWSL’s strategic initiatives across the league and its member clubs. She will also oversee the cataloging, analyzing, and sharing of key lessons and resources and provide insights and guidance to advance the league’s success, credibility, and strategic priorities.”
In an interview with Pro Soccer Wire, Hudson said even though she knew she wanted a career in sports, taking that step from player to league employee was not something she could do without observing major progress from the NWSL.
“I definitely don’t take it lightly that I’m the first player to work at the league,” said Hudson. “In previous years, there was a lot more sense of league versus players, and it’s almost like if I had joined previously, you’re crossing that line. But I had, and have, so much faith in Jessica and how much she is working to establish that trust with players, and how much I saw in my interviews that the league was heading in that direction, that I knew that joining the league meant that I would be a part of that growth and trajectory towards being player-first and making it a situation [where] players are proud to represent the NWSL, and feel like the NWSL is making the experience that they deserve.”
For Hudson, the desire to work for the league was born out of her own experiences as a player, and knowing that her non-soccer skills might contribute to a better environment on all fronts.
“I knew coming out of [my playing career], for a multitude of reasons — and I would say it’s not inclusive but not limited to coaching staff — that my experience could have been better. It could have been more what I thought of when I thought of being a professional athlete.”
With that in mind, Hudson was very clear about what motivated her to come back to a league that she would have been justified in putting in the rearview mirror.
“I immediately was at [management consultants Bain & Company] with the perspective of [wanting] to go back to the NWSL because I wanted to make being a professional women’s soccer player in the U.S. everything that I dreamt it was going to be, everything that any professional athlete deserves,” explained Hudson. “I want to make sure that [the NWSL] grows so that kids that are playing soccer now — when I was growing up, I didn’t have the dream of being a professional soccer player, just because I didn’t know what that looked like — I want to show those kids what that looks like, and have them aspire to be that, and when in 20 years they are ready to turn pro, have the league be that pro experience that they always thought it was going to be, and really grow those brands, grow the attendance in those stadiums. Have it be that you are starting a game and you have chills, because of how incredible it is to be a professional athlete.”
Hudson’s hiring was announced in December, and she says she’d gotten one week into the job before the joint investigation was released on December 14.
Understandably, Hudson had to quickly sharpen her focus on the systemic reforms required by the report as quickly as possible. That meant tackling the professional challenges, but also the trauma of simply reading the specific abuses around the league.
“It’s a really hard read,” said Hudson. “I think all of those reports are hard reads. So, it’s emotionally challenging to read it and rebound, because we need to act quickly for our players… It was really heavy, I think for everybody in the league office, knowing what we had to do, but also having to face those facts. It didn’t really provide [time] for a slow build into it. I think immediately there was so much to do. I was head-down in it and thinking across, where we even start, how we get some of these things done, what it’s going to take across some bigger ideas, what it’s going to take, things that we need to do.”
Hudson said that as the league has implemented processes to prevent further abuses, her remit has expanded to include more than just the league’s needed systemic reform.
“When I joined, I had a few different directives, and one of them is really the essence of what you would think of when you think director of strategy, which is setting the long-term strategic plan for the league,” said Hudson. “Having had the consulting background, and a lot of that is project management, one skill that I think is unique to that position is being able to take something that feels so big, like systemic reform, and being able to really distill it down into what that means, and what different actions need to be taken across the league, and where that lives in each of the different departments. Because a lot of times we have that knowledge, we just don’t really know how to activate it.”
Still, even as she diversified her list of tasks to tackle, Hudson said the league’s need for systemic reform underpinned its strategy on all fronts.
The reports are “not thinking about that long-term strategy,” noted Hudson, but still must be incorporated into the league’s vision for its future. “[The findings are] obviously critical to being able to have a long-term strategy, because without having all those things in place, there’s really no foundation to build the strategy on.”
Hudson’s path to the NWSL was a bit circuitous, but in a way familiar to soccer players: she started at Bain & Company, then joined U.S. Soccer for a six-month externship (in Hudson’s own words, “I was on loan to U.S. Soccer from Bain”). There, she crossed paths with Berman, who as NWSL commissioner sits on U.S. Soccer’s board.
“It’s almost serendipitous the way that things fell together, finding myself in this position,” said Hudson. “The fact that I met Jessica because she sits on the board at U.S. Soccer was also something that was perfect, because then she was hiring a director of strategy, and reached out to me, and the timing was ideal. As they were opening up a New York office, I was moving back to New York. So the pieces fell into place in a way that I wasn’t expecting, but in a way that I am very happy about.”
According to Berman, Hudson’s status as an ex-player is “a plus,” but was not the entire reason why she was hired.
“Carlin brings a unique background to her role,” Berman told reporters at a press conference ahead of the 2023 NWSL draft. “Her primary qualifications for what she does, is the fact that she has experience from a consulting firm: she spent three years at Bain, and spent the six months before she joined us as an extern at U.S. Soccer. Those are her primary qualifications for the role. Of course, with the work that she does, she brings forward a player-first lens to the strategic work that she’s leading.”
Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Next steps include shared best practices
As for the league’s next steps, Hudson said that since the institution of systemic reforms is under way, the league has found itself in a “more steady state,” which opens up internal discussions of “how we show up either as a global brand, as an American sports league and navigating all the nuance, I would say, behind where we sit.”
Hudson said that one concept the NWSL has started to roll out is their own version of the NBA’s Team Marketing & Business Operations arm, which is a league department that discovers and refines best practices so that every team can grow from one team’s discoveries off the field.
Hudson said that while the NWSL is under no illusions that it’s a like-for-like application, the principle behind it makes lots of sense for a league where there is a major variance in how much a given team has broken through locally or nationally.
“We’re seeing success in the league. The rising tide lifts all boats, right?” said Hudson, who said the project will include clubs who find a successful method doing presentations to inform other teams on what steps to take. “We have this big question of growing the league. So strategically, that’s where we want to go, we want to be the best league in the world. We want to grow our audience. There’s so many different priorities in there, it can feel almost paralyzing at times. So, how do we really narrow it down, and first get the low-hanging fruit? What are key actions that every club should be taking in order to maximize on these specific attendance metrics that they’re trying to hit, or revenue metrics they’re trying to hit?”
Berman said that she considers Hudson wanting to work for the league as a “litmus test” for whether the NWSL is heading in a direction that gives players confidence.
“I am proud to have hired the first former player, and I know it won’t be the last former player we hire. At the championship, I was contacted by some former players and some players who are nearing the end of their career, to talk about future opportunities both in the league and at teams,” said Berman, who added that another NWSL project is “building out an alumni relations function” that connects with former players from the NWSL and its predecessor leagues, Women’s Professional Soccer and the Women’s United Soccer Association.
In other words, the proof as to whether the NWSL is moving towards being everything it wants to be — the world’s best soccer league, a truly professional environment, and above all a safe and healthy place to work — may best be evidenced by players who experienced those failures gauging current progress and opting in.
Less than three years after shuttering the Utah Royals, NWSL is bringing them back.
The league said in a press release Saturday night that Utah would be the home of a new team that will begin play in 2024, confirming numerous reports to emerge in 2023.
“When we acquired Real Salt Lake last year, we said it was a matter of when, not if, the NWSL would return to Utah,” said club co-owner David Blitzer. “This has always been an integral part of our mission. With today’s announcement, we are thrilled to fulfill the promise we made to our incredible fan base.”
NWSL confirmed that the Utah Royals FC name would be used once again, and that the team would play at America First Credit Union Stadium, as they did during their first run from 2018-20.
The new club’s president will be Michelle Hyncik, who has served as Real Salt Lake’s general counsel for the past three years. Before that, she worked as senior legal counsel for MLS.
“As someone who credits my entire livelihood to my home on the pitch, I will prioritize empowering our Utah Royals players, and the young girls and boys who look up to them, through providing state of the art facilities, resources, staff, engagement, and opportunities to achieve their full potential,” said Hyncik, referencing her past as a soccer player at Harvard. “I could not be prouder to be part of this community and the Utah Soccer family as we bring world-class women’s soccer to Utah in 2024.”
“We are delighted to welcome Utah Royals FC and its dedicated fan base back into the league,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman in the league’s announcement. “The return of the women’s game to Utah, where soccer roots run deep, is a victory for players and fans alike. As the Royals begin this new chapter under the new ownership and leadership, I am confident the club will build a player-first organization equipped with the tools to thrive on and off the pitch.”
Royals redux
Utah’s first foray into NWSL began promisingly, with stars like Christen Press and Becky Sauerbrunn anchoring a team that had big ambitions. However, persistent rumors of dubious conduct in the front office, including from owner Dell Loy Hansen, exploded into public view in late August 2020.
It was a one-two punch: Hansen first gave public statements criticizing MLS players for refusing to play as a protest after the shooting of Jacob Blake, going as far as to say he might refuse to fund the team further. Later that same day, The Athletic detailed extensive allegations of racist statements and actions from Hansen.
Within days, Hansen would announce that he intended to sell the Royals, Real Salt Lake, and the MLS’s side’s USL satellite, the Real Monarchs. That move ended with NWSL selling the Royals to the Long family in Kansas City, who started the Kansas City Current in 2021. Ironically, it was the organization’s second go-around in that city, as Utah had initially been FC Kansas City from 2013-2017 only for ownership troubles to force their move to the Wasatch front.
The new version of the Royals will be NWSL’s 13th side. Further expansion is, per reports in the Wall Street Journal, slated for the San Francisco Bay area and Boston, though those teams’ start dates are not settled. Boston is believed to be on course to enter the league in 2026, but NWSL has not publicly confirmed their bid or the Bay area group.
Nine months of research prepared NWSL to commit to VAR next year
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman spoke to media on Thursday, covering a wide range of topics, and the addition of VAR was a recurring topic of discussion.
Berman referred to adding VAR as “probably the single most important thing that we could do to improve the consistency and the quality of the officiating” in NWSL in her remarks, adding that her first two months as commissioner have involved taking on a lot of data on the topic as well as having conversations with various figures around the league.
Berman couldn’t yet speak to exactly how much investment VAR would require or exactly how NWSL will implement, noting that the league is “still doing a lot of due diligence and homework on the implementation process as well as the investment,” she did make clear that the move is not hypothetical.
“We have the support from our board to do whatever is necessary to make that happen,” said Berman, referring to the NWSL board of governors, who met in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday. “We’ve been doing due diligence on that for the last nine months. And we felt coming out of the board meeting that we’ve done enough research and scoping that we’re prepared to make the commitment.”
Berman said that the research and discussion NWSL has already had on the topic has included contact with other leagues that have brought VAR in as a feature.
“Our executive leadership team who’s been leading the process since last season to do all the research and scoping of what’s going to be necessary in order for us to implement VAR has been in collaboration with those leagues that have already made that change and improvement,” said Berman, who added that the team in charge of that research says they’ve taken a lot from the lessons those leagues have learned. “I believe will help to allow us to implement in a much more effective and successful way.”
Berman also noted that adding VAR dovetails with the league’s commitment to improve broadcasts. While this year’s moves on the broadcasting front will not include additional camera angles, Berman said that those will be required for 2023 for VAR.
“In order to implement VAR and to continue to enhance our broadcast production, we are looking at and evaluating all of the costs associated with adding more cameras for all of our production,” said Berman.
One aspect that Berman made clear was that VAR would not be a partial move, with every team and every game having to operate under the same standard.
“It’s our intention to have consistency across the board in every venue for every team,” said Berman, later clarifying that even one-off events like the recent Daytona Soccerfest that included an NWSL league match between the Orlando Pride and Racing Louisville would require VAR infrastructure to get approval.
“That’s not to say that the infrastructure exists today,” added Berman. “The point there is that we’ve done enough of our scoping and research to feel confident that we’ll be able to implement it with incremental investments for next season.”
A host of markets are in play after the league confirmed two new teams will join in 2024
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman has said that the status of abortion and reproductive rights in a potential NWSL market will have an impact on the league’s decision to award an expansion franchise.
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the status of abortion rights will now be left to individual states, with several already moving to enact severe restrictions – if not outright bans – on abortions.
Speaking on a conference call on Thursday, Berman said that the league is reviewing the status not only of possible future locations, but current markets as well.
“I think we have to look at that not just from an expansion perspective, but really even our current landscape,” Berman said when asked about women’s bodily autonomy. “And it’s one of the things that we’re actually currently analyzing, which is looking even at our current markets to see where we have some differentiation between our values and what we stand behind relative to where we have teams located currently, and what are the solutions we can put in place that we feel comfortable we can commit to and execute on. So certainly in the context of expansion, that would be part of the analysis.”
Berman and the NWSL released a statement last month voicing their disagreement when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2022
Portland Thorns and USWNT goalkeeper Bella Bixby also posted a thread on Twitter explaining why the Supreme Court’s ruling, and possible future rulings to come, would have an impact on NWSL players.
Bixby mentioned Roe v. Wade as well as Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed a right to contraceptives, after Justice Clarence Thomas argued the Court “should reconsider” its ruling in Griswold in his concurring opinion over Roe.
Griswald v. Connecticut is up for grabs. While this obviously has far-reaching impact beyond womxn in sports, this would have a profound effect on our ability to delay family planning. Professional male athletes do not bear this burden. Why should we.
Some popular requests of NWSL are apparently coming soon
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.
