The NWSL completed its 12th season on Saturday as the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit, capping off a year “marked by record attendance, greater TV visibility” and, by all measures, a “brightening pathway to long-term growth.” In the championship game that was prime time on a major network and witnessed by Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson and Pride investor Grant Hill, fans began arriving hours early to partake in sponsored activities outside the stadium. All 11,500 tickets were sold, though “not all of the teal seats were full.” The sold-out championship came as women’s sports have enjoyed “a breakout year.” Still, there are “notable challenges” in the NWSL as Houston and Chicago are “weak markets,” and because most teams lease stadiums, scheduling is “imperfect.” The heaviest lifting seems almost “behind the league” (WASHINGTON POST, 11/24).
NWSL seeing continued growth from 12th season
