NWSL announces San Francisco Bay Area franchise for 2024 season

The NWSL has announced a new expansion franchise for the upcoming 2024 season.

The American league finally awarded the rights of the 14th team in the NWSL to a San Francisco-area group, based in the Bay. The incoming club will debut next year alongside the Utah Royals, inspiring the league to double its footprint since beginning operations in 2012.

“Northern California has been a key generator of women’s soccer talent throughout the history of the sport, and the Bay Area is a top-ten media market known for its diverse culture and vibrant ecosystem of creativity and innovation,” the league said in a release.

Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm with previous experience in sports due to their work with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, stands as the Bay Area club’s majority investor. The firm has also partnered with former USWNT stars Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton, Leslie Osborne and Aly Wagner to launch the new franchise, after the four figures served a huge part in original efforts to bring a football team to the Bay Area.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with this legendary group, who are lifelong role models to a generation of women, and we look forward to working with them to build a championship franchise on and off the field. We believe that many years from now we will look back at today as a landmark moment in Bay Area sports history, and a turning point for large-scale investment in women’s sports,” said Alan Waxman, Co-Chair of the Club and Co-Founder and CEO of Sixth Street.

“We appreciate each and every one of the thousands of people who have supported us through this process and helped us reach this important day, and to Sixth Street for stepping up to take this club to the next level,” added Aly Wagner, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Club.

“As lifelong residents of the Bay Area, we know how important women’s soccer is to our region and we are going to work hard every day to ensure that this is a club that every player, supporter, and partner will be proud of. We can’t wait to get started.”

Chastain, Osborne, Slaton, and Wagner originally pushed to bring an NWSL team to Northern California a number of years ago, before being shut down for lack of resources. But now, their dream is a reality. The US legends have been labeled the 'founding four' of the new NWSL franchise.

“The Bay Area is where this all began,” said USWNT figure Chastain. “We are as excited about what this club will achieve on the field of play as we are for what it will represent for generations of women athletes and professionals yet to come.

“This is something we’ve been working on for almost three years. And to reach this point and officially be accepted into the NWSL is both a dream come true and a motivator, because now it’s time to start building.”

The new club has not yet released its name and logo, but urges supporters to get involved on social media.