The National Soccer Alliance, a new women's
professional soccer league set to start in '98, will "rely
on a grass roots plan to locate franchises, all to be owned
by a league that will essentially treat its players as
shareholders," according to Ben Smith in the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. Smith notes the league will "grant teams to
cities that can demonstrate the greatest fan enthusiasm and
local financial support" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/16).
Tickets will cost $5-15, and attendance is projected at
3,000 per game (Jerry Langdon, USA TODAY, 2/17).
MLS LABOR: In L.A., calling it one of the "more
misguided moves in recent memory," Grahame Jones examines
the MLS Players Association class action suit against the
league and the U.S. Soccer Federation. Jones: "What is most
surprising is that it is the players themselves who are
doing the damage." (L.A. TIMES, 2/16). MLS Commissioner
Doug Logan: "It's just a reality of the business we're in.
We feel absolutely certain that we will withstand any legal
tests to the way we operate" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/15).
