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A league of their own Turner to televise eight-city women's soccer league
Posted: Monday April 10, 2000 03:11 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- A women's professional soccer league to open in April 2001 plans to play in eight cities, hoping to capitalize on the strength of last summer's World Cup. The Women's United Soccer Association said today it will have teams in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Orlando-Tampa, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington. Listed as alternates were Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, Raleigh-Durham and St. Louis. Also under consideration are Milwaukee, Denver and Houston. The WUSA said it would establish league headquarters in New York City. In addition, the league agreed to a four-year cable TV contract with Time Warner Inc. that calls for a total of 22 games a year to be televised by TNT and CNN/Sports Illustrated. Additional games would be televised through regional agreements worked out by individual teams. The league wants to be sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, the sport's governing body, although Major League Soccer also has expressed interest in establishing a women's league. U.S. Soccer has set a deadline of May 1 for parties interested in applying for a sanctioned first division league. Only one league is likely to earn first-division status. WUSA organizers said they have exclusive letters of intent from more than 100 domestic and international players, including all professionally eligible members of the 1999 U.S. World Cup championship team. "We want the focus entirely on the women's game," said Julie Foudy, co-captain of the 1999 U.S. team. "We all know how difficult it is to get a league off the ground. "With all the resources these companies have and all the promotion you can have, we feel you need that directed focus and energy that is solely behind the women's game. We are totally committed to playing for just the WUSA and hoping that is the league that gets sanctioned." The eight initial markets are conditional, pending completion of stadium contracts by Nov. 1. The eight alternate cities might be added in the first year or later through expansion.
Each of the initial eight markets required a $5 million investment. Much of the financial backing comes from media groups. Two teams -- New York and Tampa-Orlando -- were awarded to Time Warner Cable. Atlanta went to Cox Enterprises and San Diego to Cox Communications. Amos Hostetter, former chairman and CEO of Continental Cablevision, is involved with two clubs. He has full ownership of the Boston team and a half stake with John Hendricks in San Francisco. Comcast Corporation will operate the Philadelphia franchise. Hendricks is chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications, parent company of Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and other cable network services. He will be chairman of the league's board of governors. "We are putting all the elements together for a hugely successful league, and we are very optimistic and confident we will not be disadvantaged in any way," Hendricks said. "Our investment group is fully capable of getting this league going and running it." Among the international players signing letters of intent were: Sissi of Brazil, Laurie Hill of Mexico, Kelly Smith of England, Homare Sawa of Japan, Julie Murray of Australia, Patience Avre of Nigeria, and Charmaine Hooper of Canada. A battle appears to loom with MLS over first-division sanctioning. The WUSA said it had contacted MLS regarding some level of cooperation, but both league officials and prominent U.S. national team players said they were intent on running the women's league independently. The league said it has had considerable discussions with the leadership of U.S. Soccer and is seeking the advice and support of youth soccer organizations. WUSA officials also said they hope to support the growth of the men's professional league and recently submitted a proposed four-point cooperation agreement to MLS that addresses: schedule coordination, cross-promotional activities, cost-sharing and potential soccer-specific stadium development. Hendricks said that the league might be forced to play its first couple of season in less-than-ideal facilities while more appropriate stadia were either upgraded or constructed. The league would be operated under a single-entity structure similar to that developed by MLS, where financial backers invest in the league as a whole to earn operating rights to specific teams.
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