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Reactions: WUSA Users design new professional women's soccer league
Posted: Friday February 18, 2000 09:40 AM
CNNSI.com asked users what they thought of the new professional women's soccer league, WUSA. Many users would like to see it succeed, but had their own ideas for on how they would tweak the organization. Some of the most interesting responses follow:
In order to appeal to ALL areas of the country, the league MUST base some teams in the heartland (Omaha, Denver, Oklahoma City, to mention a few). If you have all the teams located on the East, West coasts and in Texas or upper Midwest (i.e. Chicago), that will seriously alienate the youngsters in the interior states. And please don't think St. Louis will suffice us landlocked folks. Fans, alike, need to have a team in relatively close proximity to base their allegiance to. They feel more valued, as supporters, if they have a team to call their own. Games, unless the popularity rivals the NFL or MLB, should be played in stadiums NO LARGER than 10,000. For one, it offers more intimacy between the players and fans, and it makes "good attendance records" and "sellouts" more achievable.
I think this league will survive. There are girls and women out there who are living their dreams through what these women do. I am a huge fan of women's soccer. I love the game. But I'm not foolish enough to believe that a venue will pop up close to me. The venues need to stay close to the coasts, that is where most fan base will come from. The small venue idea is definitely a good one. As fan the base grows, the venues should grow along with it.
Find small stadiums and fill them, even if they have to give the tickets away to do it. The large crowd atmosphere is crucial to repeat ticket sales. Change the Acronym immediately! WUSA pronounced phonetically will have every naysayer dropping the "a" and just say "WUS" and the ladies don't need the ridicule they'll get from it. Suggestion "LAdies Professional Soccer" acronym "LAPS" not particularly memorable but not easily ridiculed either!
The league should be national (not regional) in geography in order to attract corporate sponsors and national publicity. It should overlap some but not all locations of MLS (to experiment with whether men's soccer helps or hinders women's soccer, and vice versa). It should be based in large cities, not smaller ones, for media exposure purposes. And the selected cities should have natural rivalries with other locations. Maybe something like this:
Drafting should include consideration of locally-produced talent (eg, give Atlanta priority rights to ACC schools; Boston priority rights to UConn/Hartford/BU/BC; etc). Play matches twice a week on the same days in the summer (Tuesday and Thursday night women's soccer on ESPN2, for example) from May through September, for a total of approximately 36 games/team.
I think a league in the U.S. for women's soccer already has a lot of things going for it. First, the U.S. has plenty of quality players from its national team and college ranks, as well as avid international player interest. Thus, this league will instantly be the most talented women's soccer league in the world. Second, it seems that with the marketing machine that the U.S. women's national team has already generated, sponsors and financial investors will be willing to place their money into the league. Third, their is already fan interest in women's soccer, particularly from many females who have been playing the sport and look up to the players of the U.S. national team.
I would advise the WUSA to be a part of (or at least advised by) MLS, since that league has had already five plus years of experience running a soccer league in the U.S. I think teams could function in all the current MLS markets. There is enough player talent in the world, let alone the U.S., to make this league very competitive. Also, I do believe that a women's league should use the same stadiums as the MLS. Inevitably, there will always be a debate on smaller stadiums that allow a closer relationship between fans and teams versus large stadiums that give more credibility. Nevertheless, both men's and women's soccer teams should be playing at the same sites. I can see many people filling three quarters of a stadium to watch a double header of a women's and men's soccer games.
The WUSA League should definitely consider analyzing what has and has not worked for the MLS. Clearly the WUSA is likely to be more family oriented than its counterpart, which has its benefits. However, it is important that both of these leagues combine their efforts to survive in the long run. After all, Americans love winners, something the Women's national has demonstrated, but it is also imperative that the men's team is just as successful.
I hope that the league is very successful. If the US does well at Sydney it will only help us. Look at the WNBA and Atlanta. I am in my 40's and as a business owner my concern is that the WNBA has been forced to operate in the summer because the guys have the other eight months of the year. The WNBA also knows that they really can't compete against the NFL. I am concerned that the fans that will come to see the WUSA may also be WNBA fans and will they compete for the same fans. I hope that the eight sites for the teams will not include too many of the WNBA towns, if any. Also may I suggest Milwaukee, we loved the fact that Mia and the team came to Milwaukee on February 11. I truly hope that women's professional teams are here to stay but I don't want to see the women fighting for the same four months of the year.
This league will not fly. I won't support it and though some people might at first, the interest will drop off.
I believe that if the WUSA is to survive it should look at the WNBA and their teams. Knowing that New York, Washington DC, Houston, Phoenix and Orlando have attendance over 10,000 supporting a women's team. There are five teams. Next they should look at MLS. Chicago, Washington DC, Columbus, Los Angeles, and Hartford (New England) all have high attendance. Therefore the league should start with the following teams: New York, NY; Washington DC; Houston; Phoenix; Orlando, Fl.; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; Hartford, Conn. and one additional team for a total of 10. Then television deals are the next major thing. Lifetime, ESPN, and ABC are good places for women's soccer to be televised. After that they must advertise greatly, more then the WNBA did when they were debuting. By then the league will have its major problems solve and then they have to sign players and coaches and they'll be set.
Assuming that this will be a summer league, choose cities that don't have major league baseball and the largest cities with a huge fan base. Mid-size cities like Portland, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Albany, Indianapolis, etc., with a decent college or high school stadium, would be ideal. At the other extreme the largest cities, like New York, L.A., and Chicago probably have enough fans to spread around. Keep ticket prices reasonable, especially for kids. Offer reduced prices for youth teams in uniform. Spread the wealth and get into profit sharing immediately. If there are three geographic divisions, play only within the division until post-season play. That will develop rivalries and reduce travel costs. Think big but start small.
I am telling you right now that this league will be a bust. There aren't many good women players in the world. Think about that majority of the sports fans in the US want to see men's sports not women sports.
I think that a stadium should be built in or around Irvine, in Orange County California. A smallish stadium could be used by other sports outfits sure to spring up if a venue was available. I believe the fan base would be fantastic, what with the amount of youth soccer participants in Orange Co and the lack of any other outdoor professional sports (other than the Angels).
Make sure a good, well-established company sponsors the league. It is important that the major sponsors are willing to put a lot of effort into the promotion of the league and its players. I think that they should put the teams in cities all around the country, not just centered on the East or West coast. How about Houston? I think in order to survive, they will need a big-name company that is a proven backer of women's sports to be the major sponsor-I am for Nike. Good luck!
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