Investors in six US cities will attempt to open a new women's football league in 2008, trying to capitalize on interest created in America by September's Women's World Cup in China.

Groups in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington and an undecided market were announced Tuesday as charter members of the Women's Soccer Initiative by chief executive Tonya Antonucci.

The league follows up the failed Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) which lasted from 2001 to 2003 and featured global stars, inspiring dreams such as those by the heroines of the movie "Bend It Like Beckham".

The WUSA folded just before the 2003 Women's World Cup hosted by the United States after the SARS epidemic forced the event to move from China.

But the new league - with hopes for eight teams in a 2008 inugural season - has deeper financial pockets and ties to Major League Soccer, the men's league that lost out in a bid to form a women's league when the WUSA arrived.

Anschutz Entertainment, the primary financier of MLS, has the Los Angeles franchise and games figure to be in the same stadium where the Los Angeles Galaxy play.

Backers of the WUSA Washington Freedom have the US capital team and like the Chicago team with links to the MLS Chicago Fire figure to share stadium space with an MLS club.

"We have taken both the lessons and the successes of the WUSA and applied them to create a business model that makes good economic sense," Antonucci said.

"The new business model significantly reduces overhead while taking advantage of efficiencies and synergies with existing MLS club owners and other professional sports teams."

Antonucci estimated the annual cost of maintaining and operating a franchise to be between 1.5 million and 2.5 million dollars.

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We hear that almost every year now huh?
Seems a bit more realistic now than ever before though.
If WUSA finally kicks off, most of the best European players
will be for us to see here only at their international games too...
Who do you think will go to play in WUSA?

It's about time things started to happen , they've been trying long enough. Lets hope the foundations are tight this time for it to succeed.

Player's who might go . I think Kelly Smith , Julie Fleeting from English league. And a host of player's from Europe , Birgit Prinz for sure.

Think the EPL could get interesting as Arsenal will lose a few. I reckon Yankey, K.Smith, Fleets, Ludlow.
I will cry the day that Smith leaves Arsenal But I love her for it as it is best for all players and can be good for the National Team but then the EPL won't have as much class...

Will be so good if the WUSA starts up again, and hope it will be aired a lot over here

If they confirm it I won't know what to feel coz I will have to see Kelly for that last time live for a long time, but it will be exciting to see what teams people go to etc... ... .... ... ...

Awww Justme, you will still be able to see Kelly when she plays for England in Europe

I wonder if other players from EPL will go.
Not just the obvious: Kelly and Fleets
but what about the young talents?
I see players like Sanderson or Davison there alreet
And of course I would love to see Jayne Ludlow get that chance,
she is one of the most underrated players in Europe.

This will happen season as the bulk of the Arsenal team will come back knackered form China and some transfer may happen as well.

That is true, though I think with squad rotation we should just be able to do it



It's not the saaaammmmeeeeee

Until it gets more team than six I don't think it will be that many European players recruited. The big name hired guns that already plays outside their native countries (mainly Marta and a few other Brazilians) of course and then underpaid players from native English speaking countries (manily UK), and some of the other badly paid top players from minor leagues (here I consider all but FrauenBundesleauge (sp?) and Damallsvenskan minor ). But with the lesser pays since last time and the increase in professionally players and pay in Germany and Sweden I suspect not that many will go of the native players in the two currently leading leagues.

Last time a Swedish top player would more than tenfold her pay by moving to WUSA, now it is looking more like just doubling it (mostly due to better pay in Sweden nowdays). And that may not be enough to leave home country parents and most important boyfriends. I am pretty sure the same goes for Germany.

I think you could get a few French players if the money is decent enough as women's football in France is still badly considered.

Yes, I did write that they would get some "badly paid top players from minor leagues".

Honestly they will get pretty much whoever they want except from native top players in Germany and Sweden (who they will get some, probably the most adventures ones). If you already play abroad getting paid the double to move to another country will be enough for pretty much anyone (that is all non native players in Sweden and Germany thats good enough for the US professional leauge), and getting paid ten times or more will convince pretty much everyone to move (that for player in the other European leagues).

Calculation is on very rough esitimates