The San Francisco Bay Area NWSL expansion team has announced it will be known as Bay FC.
The club will enter the NWSL in 2024 as the league’s 14th team, joining the Utah Royals as expansion teams who will begin play next year.
Longtime U.S. women’s national team players Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner were the driving force behind securing a Bay Area franchise, and all four will sit on the club’s board.
“Bay FC will be a uniting force, building a culture of belonging and shared pride,” Wagner said in a press release. “We will be a beacon of hope and connection, welcoming and embracing people of all backgrounds. While community is our foundation, our love of football is our reason for being. Bay FC will have the fire to be the best, and we will show up every day with intensity, competitiveness, passion and a drive to win.”
The club’s logo is defined by a “B” that draws inspiration from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and its color palette contains navy blue, red and gray — a combination the club says is inspired by the area’s natural beauty.
“Bridges define the Bay Area and are symbols of strength that connect us all. Bay FC will unite the region’s tapestry of different cultures, languages and ideas with shared pride and a sense of belonging,” Slaton said.
The NWSL awarded the Bay Area an expansion team in April. Global investment firm Sixth Street will be the club’s majority owners, with a reported $53 million franchise fee setting a new NWSL record.
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