The NWSL is facing "increased financial competition" from Europe for top talent, despite the current "competitive quality" of the U.S.-based women's league, according to Jayme Fraser of GATEHOUSE MEDIA. It is "harder to recruit all the world's best players as American teams did in previous decades." Put simply, teams in Europe "now pay more." NWSL players get an average salary of $27,054 per year, but in England, they would make $35,355. In Germany, they would get $43,730 and in France, they would earn $49,782. In recent years, other countries have "launched women's leagues and ramped up investments in an attempt to catch up with the dominant" USWNT and "cash in on an untapped, growing market." Despite more global investments, UCLA women's soccer coach and former USWNT player Amanda Cromwell said that the U.S. "remains a top choice for many players because there are no easy games." NWSL Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke said that the league "attracts the best players because it is seen by so many as the world's most competitive professional environment for the women's game." Burke said, "They see it as a place to come and excel and push themselves and develop. While other leagues in other countries have got a rich culture on the men's side, in particular, I think the U.S. women's football is the pinnacle" (GATEHOUSE MEDIA, 7/15).
WORLD CUP BUMP: NWSL Portland Thorns President of Business Mike Golub said that the league is "more prepared to capitalize on this World Cup buzz than it was four years ago." SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's Bret McCormick notes the Thorns "successfully launched an exclusive merchandise line" during the World Cup in a "nod to its nine players who made various national team rosters." Thorns Media Relations Dir Katie Simons said that the new gear is "now the organization's best-selling merchandise by unit year to date." Spirit CMO Gretchen Hamm said that her club "wants to use momentum" from the World Cup and the '20 Tokyo Games to "triple season-ticket sales, sponsorship and attendance." In the coming weeks, the Spirit plan to "partner with neighboring NFL, WNBA and MLS teams" to give their USWNT players "more visibility." Most NWSL teams will "recognize their WWC players at specially marketed home games in the coming weeks." The Chicago Red Stars have dubbed their July 21 match as the "'World Cup Welcome Home' game and reduced ticket prices for the game" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/15 issue). NWSL Houston Dash CRO Dionna Widder said, "We saw a big lift in sales coming off World Cup specifically and so we foresee it to have a nice impact on interest and people coming out and trying the experiences that we have here with the Dash." She added, "A couple of things we're doing here is we're engaging with our existing partners and looking at ways in which we can get them more involved" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/14).
MONEY STILL MATTERS: In Denver, Mark Goodman wrote buying a team in a "new league like the NWSL is a significant risk." As much as there is a need for a "strong women's soccer league in America to support and promote the game, the owners of those teams want to know that there is money to be made." If men's professional soccer in Colorado is "still regarded as a shaky proposition after almost a quarter century, then that goes double for women's soccer." Despite Rapids Owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment's "vast holdings, there's never been any indication" KSE Founder Stan Kroenke has "interest in investing in women's leagues like the WNBA or NWSL" (DENVERPOST.com, 7/12).
