Barcelona Approves Plan To Field Team In National Women's Soccer League In '18

Barcelona's board of directors "approved a plan to launch a team" in the National Women's Soccer League, according to Ian Thomas of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The Spanish club, which opened an office in N.Y. in September, said that it "aims to join the league in '18," which would make it the first European club to have a team in U.S. professional women's football (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/12). The plan is based on proposals drawn up by the N.Y. office and from the sports area of the club (Barcelona). The BBC reported there are 10 franchises in the NWSL, "which has never had a European side competing." The Catalan club's current team is "joint-top of the Spanish top tier -- which contains a mixture of full-time and semi-professional teams -- with two matches remaining." NSWL CEO Jeff Plush previously said that he "only wanted an even number of teams in the league," so Barça's entrance "could open the door for another major club" (BBC, 5/12).