The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has confirmed that an expansion team in Sacramento will join the competition from the 2022 season.
The Sacramento franchise will become the top-flight US league’s 12th team, with Racing Louisville set to join in 2021 and Los Angeles-based Angel City FC joining in 2022.
The California city has long been linked with a NWSL franchise and the confirmation comes just over a year after United Soccer League (USL) side Sacramento Republic were awarded Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 29th expansion slot.
Other details about the new NWSL team, including the composition of their ownership group, are currently scarce, although league commissioner Lisa Baird did reveal that Sacramento Republic investors Ron Burkle and Matt Alvarez are involved.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg wrote: ‘The announcement today that Sacramento will be the next National Women’s Soccer League city shows how we are poised to emerge from the pandemic more vibrant than ever, with a new stadium where generations of fans can make memories and draw inspiration.’
Although not confirmed, Steinberg’s tweet hinted that the NWSL team will join Sacramento Republic in playing their home games at a new US$300 million, 20,100-seat stadium being built in the city’s downtown Railyards District.
Baird announced the Sacramento franchise on a wide-ranging conference call with reporters, during which she also revealed that the league is now independent of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
The national governing body has managed the NWSL since its launch in 2013, but Baird said the organisation will now invest in the league “as partners”.
“We have a mutual interest in building the best women’s soccer league in the world. That’s what this new partnership will be about,” she said. “And we want to continue to lead with initiatives in the areas of performance, like continuing to upgrade and improve the standards of women’s soccer in the United States with sports science, coaching, other things like that. They will continue to invest in our league and we will do so as partners going forward.”
In addition, Baird said that the Challenge Cup will again take place this year in mid-April, with the regular season scheduled to start in May.
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