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The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the sport’s US top tier, has confirmed plans for an expansion team based in the Bay Area, California to begin play for 2024 season.
Confirmed:
- Sixth Street is the majority shareholder, with Yahoo Sports reporting the team’s backers are paying a US$53 million expansion fee in total
- The ownership group is reportedly pledging to invest an initial US$125 million in the team, with most of that going towards a brand new training facility
- US women’s soccer legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner will serve as the team’s ‘founding’ advisors, leading a majority female board and the franchise’s overall strategic direction
- Sixth Street chief executive Alan Waxman joins NWSL’s board of governors
- Waxman and Wagner will co-chair Bay Area team’s board
- Sheryl Sandberg joins as a strategic advisor on the club’s board, which will also feature former Golden State Warriors executive Rick Welts
- Former San Francisco Giants executive Staci Slaughter also joins the franchise’s board
Context:
The NWSL recently confirmed that the Utah Royals will return as the league’s 13th team in 2024, while the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in January that there could also be a new franchise in Boston.
Comment:
“We said at the start of the expansion process in July 2022 that we would be intentional in seeking out strong markets and ownership groups that not only had the structural integrity for our league to thrive, but also demonstrated a genuine commitment to investing in and creating first-rate organisations on and off the pitch,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “I am confident that this ownership group and market will help us deliver on the league’s continued transformative growth and success and look forward to watching the Bay Area club kick off in 2024.”
Coming next:
According to the WSJ, any Boston team will join the NWSL at a later date. Meanwhile, the Bay Area investor group will break ground on a new training facility and begin appointing front office staff.
