NWSL Faces a Crucial Year
2015 is shaping up to be a very critical year for the development of the NWSL. For the first time in the brief history of the league, the nine teams will be playing part of the season without a great number of its star players while the Women’s World Cup is being staged. The league will take a two week break in June while the early rounds of the World Cup are played and then resume play with rosters that will be relying heavily upon reserve squad players. A good draft class will hopefully alleviate the loss of the top players, although number one overall pick Morgan Brian is almost assured a spot on the UWSNT, meaning fans will have to wait to see her in action.
Not helping matters was the surprising decision made last week by Abby Wambach to end her NWSL career to focus solely on the World Cup and next year’s Olympics. Wambach is the face of US women’s soccer and one of the league’s star players and main attractions. It’s a huge blow for the league to lose such a huge draw and fan favorite, at a time when it badly needs all the exposure it can get. And for Wambach’s former team, the Western New York Flash, losing their star and stalwart in what is a rebuilding year all but ends their title hopes.
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Now in its third season, the NWSL was formed after the demise of two other women’s professional soccer leagues, the Women’s United Soccer Association (2000-2003) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2009-2012). Having been formed at a time when US women’s soccer is at its zenith, the NWSL seems ripe to flourish. Unfortunately, relying heavily upon its National players means that from time to time its nine franchises must play without some their marquee players. In 2015, that reliance forces the league to face its most sternest test. With the loss of such stars as Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Kelley O’ Hara, Sydney Leroux as well as international stars like Christine Sinclair and others during the World Cup, each team faces one crucial question: who will step up to take the reigns in their absence?
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Hoping to alleviate some of that stress, the league did make the decision to suspend play for two weeks starting June 6th to allow the early stages of the Cup to take place and then resume play on June 28th. In addition, all players with World Cup ties will only be available for the first four weeks of the season before departing, and I suspect many of them may opt to not play until after the World Cup is over to avoid injury. And who knows how soon after the Cup they will be ready to resume their club play, after all, this World Cup will be played on turf, which raises the prospect of injury greatly. The loss of a Morgan, Lloyd or Sinclair would be devastating to their respective teams. Thus far in this preseason, none of the USWNT stars have played a league game, either taking part in the Algarve Cup or training with the National team. Their absence has affected fan attendance during the preseason as has foul weather, especially on the East Coast.
In addition to the loss of star players, one other fact that does not help the league was the struggle of the Houston Dash in their loss to the Dynamo Academy, a U16 team. It does not bode well for a professional team to lose to a U16 team, regardless of it being in the preseason. True, the Dash did play most of the game with trial players, however it is these same trial players and reservists that the Dash will be looking to later in the season. Worse than losing, the Dash could not even muster a single goal.
Anyone will tell you that for an new league to gain traction, it must have a television deal.The majority of league games are available for viewing via YouTube or via individual team’s websites. In April of 2013, the NWSL signed a one-year agreement with Fox Sports to televise nine games of the leagues’ inaugural season. As part of the agreement,Fox Sports 2 aired six regular-season matches and all three playoff matches, which included the two semifinal games and the championship game. In May of 2014, the league signed a one-year agreement with ESPN to televise nine games of the 2014 season.The games included 3 regular season games on ESPN2, as well as 3 regular season games, the two semi-final games, and the NWSL final. It was a decent deal, perhaps even a smart one: start slowly, televising a few games with the top teams and then the playoffs and championships.
However, if the league is to continue, it must find a better commitment, either from Fox Sports or ESPN. One or both of those networks must agree to televise the entire season, add some type of weekly spotlight show, showcase lesser known players, etc. There is an entire base of young female soccer players who look up to Morgan, Wambach, etc and there is a small but passionate fan base for women’s soccer that can only grow as the league gains more exposure. Without such a TV deal, the future of the league is on shaky ground.
For the record, I like the NWSL. I have been to three games (all Sky Blue FC) and I’ve enjoyed myself each time. My daughter has become a huge Kelley O’Hara fan and the league does many fan friendly post game activities (signing autographs, posing for pictures, even going into the stands to meet fans). I truly hope the league takes off.
However, putting personal feelings aside, I worry about this season. I am concerned that the prolonged loss of its top players will hurt play. I worry that some players may follow Abby Wambach and put their National team duties ahead of their club duties. While I don’t begrudge them choosing that option, it hurts the league as a whole.If the league can weather the player losses during the World Cup, and if play can thrive and new, young stars emerge then there is no reason why the NWSL can’t strike a more lucrative television deal. Striking such a deal puts good resources into the league to raise the pay of their players and make the league a viable option for other international stars to join. 2015 is by no means a make or break year for the league, but in my opinion, it is a crucial one for their future.
What do you think fans?
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