The National Women’s Soccer League announced Tuesday that an expansion franchise representing the Bay Area in Northern California will be the league’s 14th team. The yet-to-be-named club will begin play in 2024.
The NWSL opened its 11th season on March 25.
“The number of bids and the increase in the league’s expansion fees are indicative of both the demand that exists for women’s soccer in the professional sports landscape and the validated growth trajectory of our league,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “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 organizations on and off the pitch.
“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.”
OPINION: This isn’t your old NWSL. As league begins 11th season, it’s poised to take off.
Who is behind Bay Area’s NWSL expansion bid?
The majority investor in the new Bay Area NWSL club is Sixth Street, a global investment firm which also boasts stakes in Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, as well as the San Antonio Spurs. Sixth Street also is partnered with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys through its majority investment in Legends, a live venue operations business.
For the new Bay Area NWSL team, Sixth Street is in partnership with U.S. women’s national soccer team legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner.
How many teams are currently in the NWSL?
There are currently 12 teams in the NWSL. The league added two California-based teams for the 2022 season when Angel City FC (Los Angeles) and San Diego Wave FC joined the NWSL. The Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville FC joined in 2021 in the league’s first expansion since the 2018 season.
Last month, the NWSL announced that the Utah Royals would be returning to the league as an expansion team for the 2024 season. The original Utah Royals spent three seasons in the NWSL from 2018-2020.
Soccer history in the Bay Area
Chastain — the two-time women’s World Cup and two-time Olympic gold medalist — Slaton — who played for the USWNT from 2000-05 — and Wagner — a two-time Olympic gold medalist who made 131 appearances for the USWNT — are all from San Jose.
Stanford boasts three women’s NCAA soccer national championships; Santa Clara has two. The Stanford men won back-to-back-to-back national soccer titles in 2015-17. The University of San Francisco has five men’s national championships.
There had been two major women’s professional teams to call the Bay Area home. The San Jose CyberRays played in all three seasons (2001-03) of the defunct Women’s United Soccer Association, winning the league title in 2001. FC Gold Pride played two seasons (2009-2010) in the defunct Women’s Professional Soccer, winning the league title in its first season.
In men’s top-flight professional soccer, the San Jose Earthquakes are in their 26th season in Major League Soccer, and have won two MLS Cups (2001 and 2003) and the Supporters’ Shield twice (2005 and 2012). A team with the same name played 11 seasons (1974-1984) in the old North American Soccer League.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NWSL: Bay Area, California expansion team to begin play in 2024
