Women's Sports
Chicago Stars say planned Bannockburn facility is for training only
A Chicago Stars spokesperson clarified that the NWSL club’s planned performance center in Bannockburn will “function solely as a training center and not a stadium where games will be played,” according to Claire Murphy of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The club has “not yet announced where it will seek to pla...
Toronto Tempo draw sellout crowd in preseason debut
The WNBA’s Toronto Tempo played their first game ever on Wednesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum, and “normalcy reigned” for the preseason bout against the Sun -- which drew a sellout crowd of 8,210. Fans “waited in long lines for merchandise” ahead of the game, as players “went through shootaround and seat...
NWSL sticking with current calendar through 2030
The NWSL will retain its current spring-to-fall calendar through at least the 2030 season following discussions among ownership about moving to a fall-to-spring schedule that would align with European leagues, FIFA’s international match calendar and, beginning next season, MLS. The league, however, ...
Brighton Women unveil plans for Europe’s first dedicated women’s soccer stadium
Women’s Super League club Brighton and Hove Albion have unveiled plans to “build the first purpose-built women’s football stadium in Europe.” With “at least 10,000 seats,” the new soccer ground next to the men’s team’s American Express Stadium is slated to open “no later than” the 2030-31 season, s...
PWHL attendance surges for third consecutive season
The PWHL concluded its third regular season on Saturday and saw average per game attendance increase by 28% from the previous campaign, including playoffs, and 71% from the league’s inaugural campaign. Through 120 games, it totaled 1,116,497 fans in the stands for an average of 9,304 per game. The P...
Bay FC promotes CFO Gutmann to team president following Johns departure
Bay FC has promoted BERNARD GUTMANN to team president, following CEO STACY JOHNS’ departure to the WNBA’s Sparks. Guttman had served as chief financial officer for 18 months and will remain in that role, as well.
Sparks land Bay FC CEO Stacy Johns as team president
STACY JOHNS has been hired as the Sparks’ president after a three-month stint as Bay FC’s CEO, a move to accelerate the synergy between owner MARK WALTER’s three L.A. franchises: the Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks.
NWSL not expected to vote on calendar flip this week
The NWSL’s BOG is “not expected to vote on a calendar flip” when it convenes this week, and the league is intending to “stick to the current spring-to-fall operation for the time being,” according to Pardeep Cattry of CBSSPORTS.com. A switch to a spring-to-fall calendar has been a “notable topic of ...
AUSL looks to WNBA for lessons as it aspires to keep growing
The AUSL “hopes that it can learn a few things from the WNBA” as it aspires to “reach the stratosphere where the WNBA has currently taken up solo residence,” according to Jenni Carlson of the OKLAHOMAN. The AUSL has the “benefit of the current moment and past missteps.” That can be seen in the leagu...
SBJ Women’s Sports: California key to LOVB’s growth
With expansion teams coming to the Golden State, LOVB is making a big bet on California. Also: The growth of women's sports bars in the U.S., and a chat with Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai.
50 minutes with Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai
As soon as I saw that we had Clara Wu Tsai speaking at the recent CAA World Congress of Sport, I blocked off the slot to be there. One of the most influential WNBA owners, Wu Tsai offered some valuable perspectives not just on the New York Liberty but on women’s sports more broadly.
Data Drive: Women’s sports bars taking hold and expanding the model
With the NWSL and WNBA both about to be in play at the same time, women’s sports bars will be packing in the fans. And the model keeps evolving. Along with the dozens of permanent venues listed here, pop-ups bars continue springing up across major cities.
USA Volleyball names Bari Greenfield COO
USA Volleyball has named Bari Greenfield as its new COO, bringing in the former MLS and N.Y. Road Runners exec as it looks to build on the sport’s momentum ahead of the L.A. 2028 Olympics. Greenfield, who starts May 18, succeeds Steve Bishop in the role and will report to USA Volleyball President &a...
Paige Bueckers says relationship with Azzi Fudd ‘nobody’s business’
Wings G Paige Bueckers said her personal relationship with teammate Azzi Fudd is “nobody’s business but our own,” according to Myah Taylor of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Since the Wings drafted Fudd No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA draft, “discourse has swirled about Bueckers’ relationship with Fudd, alo...
N.Y. mayor collabs with Gotham FC to expand affordable access to soccer
N.Y. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has collaborated with NWSL club Gotham FC and “extended his campaign of making soccer more affordable,” according to Melanie Anzidei of THE ATHLETIC. The mayor on Sunday afternoon shared with his 11.7 million followers across Instagram and X that his administration and Goth...
Liberty, Mercury, Sparks to wear throwbacks to celebrate WNBA’s 30th season
The three inaugural WNBA franchise that remain in their original cities will celebrate the league’s 30th season with the release of “throwback uniforms for special games throughout the season,” according to Costabile & Jennings of THE ATHLETIC. The Liberty will premiere their retro uniforms at t...
WNBA taking preseason game to K.C. as city gains traction for women’s sports
K.C. will “play host to a WNBA preseason game for the first time in over two decades” on Monday when the Lynx play the Nigerian women’s national team at T-Mobile Center, according to Alexa Stone of the K.C. STAR. The last time the WNBA played in K.C. was a preseason matchup between the Lynx and the ...
RAJ Sports launches Rose City SportsNet for Fire, Thorns
The owners of the WNBA’s Fire and NWSL’s Thorns are rebranding a Portland over-the-air channel into Rose City SportsNet, with a year-round format that turns the station into a female-focused sports RSN.
Inside the negotiations that led to the WNBA’s collective-bargaining deal
Nothing good happens after midnight — except for the eight days that saved the WNBA season.
WNBA holds preseason exhibition game in South Dakota
The WNBA came to Sioux Falls for the first time on Saturday, and it “couldn’t have been a bigger hit.” The Mercury defeated the Sky 108-104 in a preseason exhibition before a sellout crowd of 3,357 at the Sanford Pentagon. The Mercury are coached by South Dakota native Nate Tibbetts, and most of the...
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People can take whatever stance they want on LIV and the funding of it, is it sportswashing, fine. Fact is, look at the elevated purses [on the PGA Tour]. Did that come without the leverage provided by the existence of LIV? No it didn't.-- ESPN's Michael Wilbon, on how LIV's existence benefitted the PGA Tour.
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