Bay FC
YAHOO SPORTS' Henry Bushnell wrote Sixth Street CEO Alan Waxman's goal for new NWSL club Bay FC is to make it into one of the "global consumer brands" alongside established entities like Real Madrid, Barcelona, the Spurs and the Yankees -- other teams in which his company has invested in. But before they can go global, they "have to start local." Bay FC CEO Brady Stewart said, “We break it out into distinct phases. Phase 1 is all about the Bay Area. ... While we have big, global ambitions, and we're trying to build a strategic framework that allows us to get there, our first push is about really establishing ourselves in the Bay." She added, “If your fans in your home market aren't passionate about who you are, and what you're about, it's hard to get anyone else to feel the same way.” The club has "generated buzz in the Bay and in soccer circles." They will play games at PayPal Park, the home of the Earthquakes, and they "expect to sell out their March 30 home opener" (
YAHOO SPORTS, 3/14).
GOING TO THE RAFTERS: THE ATHLETIC's Jeff Rueter wrote the Seattle Reign announced that former player Megan Rapinoe will be the "fifth player to have a jersey number retired by an NWSL club." They "will honor Rapinoe and her No. 15 shirt on Aug. 25" with a celebration at Lumen Field during the Reign’s match against the North Carolina Courage. The other NWSL players whose number are retired are Lauren Holiday, whose No. 12 was retired by FC Kansas City in 2015, Joanna Lohman, whose No. 15 was retired by the Washington Spirit in 2019, Leslie Osborne, whose No. 12 was retired by the Boston Breakers in 2015, and Lori Chalupny, whose No. 17 was retired by the Chicago Red Stars in 2016. Rueter noted retiring players’ jersey numbers are "a rarity in soccer compared to American sports’ standards" (
THE ATHLETIC, 3/14).
FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Klarna and Angel City FC today announced the launch of new collaborations with Southern California-based youth sports organizations Section Z and Football For Her in an effort to bring young girls and nonbinary individuals closer to the game. Klarna and ACFC will dedicate 30 seats at each home game at BMO Stadium to the two organizations for the entirety of the 2024 season. Members of the organizations will occupy a section the stadium and receive custom merchandise to assist them in showing off their fandom (
ACFC).
