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Leagues and Governing Bodies

With three-year jinx beaten, NWSL aims to build on growth

The National Women’s Soccer League, by completing its fourth season last week, passed a milestone that its predecessors never reached, but Commissioner Jeff Plush said the league is looking to do more than survive.

“Whether it was attendance, sponsorship or merchandise, in 2016 we were up across the board in any relevant metric that is important, all of which underscores the fact that we are the most competitive women’s league in the world,” he said. “But while we’re pleased with the growth, there’s certainly far more to be done.”

Western New York Flash players celebrated their NWSL title victory Oct. 9.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

The league saw an 18 percent increase in sponsorship revenue on a year-over-year basis, Plush said, with growth in its deal with Nike, a renewal with the National Mango Board and a new deal with Cutter Insect Repellent. At the local level, sponsorship revenue is up 40 percent for the league’s 10 clubs.

Plush said that to see further growth in sponsorship revenue, the league must further enhance its media offering. Last season, the NWSL had a one-year deal with Fox Sports to air six games, including all three playoff matches. Remaining games were streamed on YouTube.

The final Oct. 9, aired on Fox Sports 1, averaged 180,000 viewers, up 7.8 percent from the previous year’s match, which aired on the same network.

The other two playoff matches averaged 105,000 and 63,000, respectively, both easily eclipsing last year’s averages of 48,000 and 28,000.

Plush said the league and club owners are discussing the best approach on media, but he believes it will include both a linear outlet and an enhanced digital strategy. He said that because of the league’s success in drawing notable international players, in addition to the best U.S. players, interest from international viewers on YouTube has increased significantly. The league’s most-viewed YouTube broadcast was Portland’s home opener, which had more than 111,000 views. Most broadcasts ranged from 8,000 to 40,000 viewers.

When owners meet later this month, they’ll also discuss what is next for the league in expansion. The league is not planning to expand in 2017, but Plush said that he thinks moving into additional markets could help further the league’s broadcast and sponsor goals and that potential ownership groups have expressed interest.

The expansion Orlando Pride became the NWSL’s 10th team this season.

There were a few bumps during the season, though. The league took heavy criticism for allowing a game to be played on a cramped baseball outfield. Many of the league’s biggest U.S. stars missed matches as a result of national team games. And while it is not involved in the negotiations, the league is paying attention to the collective-bargaining discussions of those players, whose deal expires Jan. 1, with the U.S. Soccer Federation.

“We’re a league of 200 players, and while the national team players are incredibly important to us, there is plenty of other work for us to be doing,” Plush said. “We need to continue to just build out the league, whether it relates to competition and playing guidelines, technical standards or playing environment.”

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