What's next?

World Cup success prompts questions on future

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Friday July 09, 1999 01:10 PM

Mia Hamm earns a nice living through endorsements, but most of her teammates face an uncertain financial future. AP

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Now that the Women's World Cup has been a rousing success financially and artistically, the questions begin:

What does it all mean? Will women's soccer prosper, both here and abroad? Is a professional league on the U.S. horizon?

Nobody is sure, but riding the euphoria of the last three weeks, everyone is hopeful.

"In some small way, we have all been a part of history," says Marla Messing, president of the organizing committee and the guiding force behind the most successful women's sports event ever. "This tournament has demonstrated how our sport is growing all over the world.

"It's been like a cultural shift and the way the tournament caught fire, we've tapped into something. We think this will be a seminal moment, that people will look back in 20 years and say, `That event is responsible for the development of women's sports.'"

The development of women's soccer is the more pertinent topic right now. Another showcase is coming up, in Sydney next September. Australia also is bidding for the 2003 Women's World Cup and has no competition right now.

"It will be a difficult act to follow the great tournament the U.S. has been able to stage," said Basic Scarsella, chairman of Soccer Australia. "It will come following the 2000 Olympic Games, and that will give us some interest."

TV ratings for U.S. team games have surpassed those for the Stanley Cup, and a sellout crowd of 90,000 for Saturday's championship match between the hosts and China helped push the average attendance to more than 38,500 for 17 tournament dates.

With a much smaller population, Australia might expect to average 15,000 fans at each game, although Scarsella noted that his nation may have deeper soccer roots than the United States.

"What the organizing committee in the United States has been able to do is market to a different audience," Scarsella said. "They've tapped a market that's never been tapped before, and great credit should go to the organizers for being able to do that."

But it must continue doing that, leading the way, if the legacy of WWC '99 is to be a lasting one.

"American companies are doing a great job of promoting the athletes," Messing said. "The media has provided an avenue to the public and to make them accessible to the public.

"Ultimately, though, it is their talent that is the deciding factor."

That talent, at least in the United States, needs a steady place to exhibit itself. The national team almost certainly will stage a tour of exhibition games against other countries later this year. When the Olympic squad is chosen, it, too, will be on display in numerous exhibitions and tournaments.

But, after the 2000 Olympics, a U.S. league of some sort becomes a necessity.

"The next step is to have a league of our own," Brandi Chastain said. "We really don't have a place to stay sharp. Without a place for our young players to play, it will be hard for us to be as successful."

Indeed, with the way women's soccer abroad is improving, the Americans' spot among the elite no longer is so secure. Although college programs are strong, those players -- especially ones who are not quite at the national team level -- must have a place to hone their skills.

U.S. Soccer already has begun studying a plan for a women's league. Just as with the startup of Major League Soccer, which didn't occur until two years after the 1994 men's World Cup was held here, the establishment of a women's league won't be rushed.

"It's a necessity for us to stay successful," says Lauren Gregg, the longtime U.S. assistant coach, also a former assistant at North Carolina and head coach at Virginia. "What we classified as professional and nonprofessional and successful and unsuccessful may be different than the traditional professional league. For us, a professional league needs to be something that pays our players a salary to train the way they need to train, and develops our players.

"We could pay our best players to play and train year-round and take the onus off U.S. Soccer, which has made a huge investment in this team. That's why we're successful, but they're not in the long-term position to pay our players. At the same time, if we don't have a league, our schedule is so demanding they have to pay them, because the players are basically full-time."

There isn't a lot of money in women's soccer, either. The U.S. players will make a bonus of around $12,500 each for the World Cup. While Chastain, Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy and a few other veterans will do just fine with endorsements and personal appearances after the tournament, some of the others aren't likely to prosper.

"Right now, our younger players have to choose, 'Do I go into another career, or do I starve and stay in soccer forever?'" Gregg said.

Another option is to play in the few women's pro leagues that exist, in countries such as Brazil and Germany, or are developing, particularly in Europe.

"It's pretty uncertain," Foudy said. "There's a lot of questions. We know we'll get back together for some games, go to residency [camp], then have some games before the Olympics. And then ... then what?"

Federation discussing feasibility of U.S. women's league

A study into the feasibility of starting a women's professional soccer league in the United States is being developed by U.S. Soccer.

Federation president S. Robert Contiguglia said Wednesday that a business plan is in the works to put together a league. There is no top-level professional soccer outlet for American women at home, and few leagues around the world.

"U.S. Soccer has been at the forefront of women's athletics for many years," Contiguglia said. "We have implemented a number of progressive women's programs to ensure the continued success of women's soccer, and we are moving into this project with the same mindset ... to try and produce the best possible plan to entice investors.

"As the governing body of the sport, U.S. Soccer's role is to encourage dialogue and the eventual development of a business plan for potential investors, but not to directly fund or operate a league."

Funds have been committed by John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel, to develop the business plan and present it to potential investors by early 2000. Mark Abbott, the chief operating officer of Major League Soccer, is drafting the plan. He played a similar role for MLS.

Federation officials have discussed the plan's development with members of the U.S. women's team, other participants in the World Cup and sponsors in the women's soccer community.

"There are many elements that need to be in place before you can proceed with a start-up project like this," Contiguglia said. "It's important to remember that this is just the first step in the process."

 

Related information
Stories
Q & A with Grant Wahl: China's offense is its best defense SI's Leigh Montville: Don't forget soccer dads Donovan: Can women make soccer a hit in U.S.? CNN/SI's Michael Lewis: U.S. has more to give CNN/SI's Terry Baddoo: It's no soccer blueprint Day at a Glance: Friday
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.