COUNTDOWN TO LAUNCH



This time , 'next year' really and truly means next year. The league is back and it's for real. It was formed and funded way back in September , but tangible evidence of its realness was presented at the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Annual Convention in Baltimore , MD , mid-January. Hopefully enough evidence to silence even the most skeptical.

[b]It has a name: Women's Professional Soccer , 'WPS ' for short.

It has a logo: A deep navy , red , and gold colour scheme showcasing the silhouette of Mia Hamm , a nice nod to the past.

It has a web site : www.womensprosoccer.com

And it has a growing staff headed by League Commissioner Tonya Antonucci who has spearheaded the re-launch effort since 2005.

There are still a lot of questions to be answered and Anntonucci did her best to fill in the blanks.


Markets

WPS is prepared to launch with the seven teams it currently has under contract , Boston ( Boston Breakers ) , Chicago , Dallas ( Dallas Sting ) , Los Angeles , New Jersey/ New York , St.Louis , and Washington ( Washington Freedom ) , but is actively seeking an eighth team. WPS would love to have another team out on the West Coast. Antonucci named San Francisco and Kansas City as potential new markets for 2010 and threw out Philadelphia as someone they are in discussions with for 2009.

Television

There is no deal in place but Antonucci expects to be able to announce plans early this year.

Player Allocation

The exact method of player allocation has not been determined but Antonnucci said that the league is planning to draft in three stages. A draft of elite nationals and international players immediately on the heels of the Olympics , a combine/draft in December or January as soon as NCAA athletes are available and a supplemental draft in March relative to local team tryouts. Current plans are to allocate a maximum of four international players to each team.

Player Salaries

The salary structure , including a minimum and salary cap , will be determined at the league level with input from the players. " On the one hand , it's important to attract the best players and for them to know that at a minimum , they have a fair living wage for their total compensation , said Antonucci. " On the other hand , the owners need to have cost certainly such that they know that the business is manageable through the early years when they're going to be losing a lot of money. The players understand that too. No one wants this to be a one - year league ". She said that the salaries would less than the WUSA but still ' good ' numbers for the players.

The Soccer Family

WPS is looking to engage ' the soccer family ' as its target fan. Antonucci defines the soccer family as anyone who is passionate about soccer and that includes soccer moms and dads with their daughters and sons , teenaged club players that will come to matches with their teammates , 35 - year old guys that still play and are addicted to MLS and EPL , women who will come out and support the teams and the 13 - year old who is looking for a role model. " In the end , that question ( who is the target fan ) will be answered when we put the product on the field. If it's compelling , if it's exciting then that's going to pull all kinds of new people in " , said Antonucci.

Reasons To Believe

Antonucci addresses questions about the league's chances of success in the wake of the WUSA's failure by pointing out some important advantages of WPS:

A great model from the WUSA in terms of putting a quality product on the field.

The chance to learn from the mistakes made by the WUSA.

A shared infrastructure as opposed to a stand-alone league.

Realistic expectations based on historical data from three years of WUSA. attendance , not based on 1999 Fifa Women's World Cup euphoria or numbers.

A business plan that requires a minimum of only 5,000 fans per game to be successful.

" We would like to blow that number out and in different markets that will happen" , Antonucci. " If we can average 5,000 per game , we will be in a position where that fan will not be asking that question in three years down the road ".