Breakers to Join New Women’s League
- Updated: November 21, 2012
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati announced on Wednesday the launch of a new, eight-team women’s professional soccer league that will include the Boston Breakers.
The league, which has not yet been named, will kick off its inaugural season in spring 2013. The Breakers will join seven other clubs from New Jersey, Kansas City, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Western New York and Washington, D.C. for the league’s inaugural season in 2013.
“We, as the owners of the teams, are all very excited about this league and the return of professional women’s soccer to the sports landscape in North America,” Breakers Managing Partner Michael Stoller said in a statement on Wednesday. “There has been a tremendous amount of work done over past several months. We are also very appreciative to the Canadian and the Mexican Federations for supporting the league and joining in on this effort.”
The league will be run by the U.S. Soccer Federation, and will feature 24 U.S. Women’s National Team members. Additionally, the Canadian Soccer Association and Mexican Football Federation will have 16 and 12 players, respectively, in the new league. The Canadian and Mexican governing bodies will supplement the salaries of their players.
In a statement detailing the new league’s blueprints, Gulati projected that each team will field about three U.S. Women’s National Team players.
Meanwhile, the Breakers announced that they will once again call Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, Mass. their home in 2013. The Breakers sold out each of the seven home games in 2013 while playing in Women’s Premier Soccer League Elite.
“This is fantastic news, not just for the players, but for all supporters of women’s soccer and especially our loyal Boston Breakers fans,” Breakers General Manager Lee Billiard said in a statement. “A lot of hard work has gone into making this league a reality and something that will be more sustainable so it is part of the women’s soccer scene for a very long time.”
The Breakers were charter members of the Women’s United Soccer Association (2001-2003) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2009-2011). WUSA and WPS each folded after their first three seasons.
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About Brian O'Connell
brian
November 21, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Great news! I was reading about the operating model. it is quite unique and really I think well conceived. Unlike the previous incarnations, It has a genuine opportunity to be successful. Our WNT really deserves their own league in order to sustain their success. I went to the wwc when games were in foxboro and a couple games for the breakers since, the atmosphere was fantastic and for those who say the women’s game has no chance or don’t understand why people would go, really need to attend a game or two in person to see for themselves what they are missing out on and what a positive influence it can be for our daughters growing up to emulate and have their own aspirations of professional success. Not to mention they actually have a stadium close to public transit in Somerville (hmm, who should take notice of that…)
rick sewall
November 21, 2012 at 8:01 pm
This is good news, and the women certainly are capable of playing a very attractive brand of soccer, but I’d be most happy if the goalkeepers learned to kick a goal kick at least to midfield consistently. Mainly because of poor technique they can’t. Would they be willing to learn? I doubt it.
rick sewall
November 23, 2012 at 8:51 am
I occurred to me that my comments above are out of line and very inappropriate . Any new league needs all the positive feedback it can get in order to survive. Look at the men’s experience in America over the past fifty years. It has been a struggle for them. I sincerely apologize for the above, especially to the keepers.
As the Japanese national women’s team is one of the world’s best coached, men’s included, it would be great if their coach came here to work . I would pay good money to see his team play.