Despite our long time association and love of rugby, soccer has always been strong in New Zealand and nowadays there are actually more kids that play soccer than rugby.

When I was young it was mostly a boys sport, I was the only girl on my team from the age of 7 until I was 15 when we started a girls team at my school (and we had enough for two teams!)

I played for my University Premier XI and then took a break until this year when I have just started playing again, there are about five divisions of women's soccer in my city with about six or eight teams a piece. So I think we're doing pretty well! I also play in an indoor lunchtime competition for my work and there are always more teams wanting to play than there are spots available.

Mia Hamm is awesome.

I swear this site drives me nuts sometimes.  Well, I had a decent comment to all of this happy news but it wouldn't post.

Let's just say I'm excited now.  I don't have it in me to remember all that I wrote.

Women's football is starting to get more of a following here in the UK but its nowhere near as big as in the US and certainly nowhere near as popular as the men's game, I love to watch both. Its a great thing that girls will be encouraged to play the beautiful game, really hope the league picks up and is a success.

i'm on the run but i knew if i clicked on this there'd be some amazing pictures.

not disappointed! go sexy athletes! powerful, focused, strong, beautiful hotties!! ahh!!!!!

Yes, the US league will come and stomp its big feet, the Earth will tremble and Marta will have to leave and Women's League with UIK in the final will be no more! The word is that Marta will definitely be going to the US if the league ever gets up and running. She only signed one year with the best team in the world; Umeå IK this time.

I know, I know, I know this is reaaaally good news for women's football but I'm selfish and I want her (and Ramona Bachman) to stay! =D Umeå, Umeå, UMEÅ!

Oh, and "everyone" plays football in Sweden. Right? No? Yes.

Oh, wow, a fellow portuguese. I didn't know that untill I read the last paragraphs. :)

This is great news. I wasn't even aware that the US had no female football soccer league... Crumbled in 2003? Geez... Now I don't feel so weird that my country also doesn't have one. Did ours crumble? Or it never even existed?

I'm not too sure how I feel about those grandeur ideas of making it the best league in the world... I mean, I hope it accomplishes that, but not by stealing luring all the big players that currently play in other countries... I like it that they're scattered. Birgit's in Germany, Marta's in Sweden, along with various other female football stars. The UK also has a significant agglomeration of female stars. It's great. Why aren't there american football stars in Europe? o_0 Maybe there are and I don't know any.

Anyway, great article. :)

Man, I cannot wait for this. I have to admit that I didn't really follow the WUSA, but I wasn't as avid a soccer fan then as I am now. I mean I was a fan, but I only followed MLS and world cups. Now, I follow the Premiership, La Liga, Serie A, Champions League, Argentinian league, in addition, so I am really ready for this league. I plan to support the Los Angeles team from the start. I also love that the logo is the silhouette of Mia Hamm, it should be her.

I also agree that the WPS will become the top womens league in the world, because in a way American soccer fans support womens soccer more then mens, or respect it more. Simply because the US women are way more successful than the US men, and have been for years now. The US womens team wins world cups, olympic medals, are/have been ranked #1 in the world, and are very consistent. I, as an American, don't understand how the US womens team is so much more successful than the mens team. The WPS is going to have tv contracts and lots of other stuff, the european womens' league don't get a sniff at being played on tv. I didn't even know that England had a womens league until I saw I think Lady Arsenal against Everton sometime last year, when it was shown on tv.

The only thing I am wondering about is the salary cap, and what it is, because the MLS salary is too low and needs to be raised, so I imagine the WPS cap is lower than MLS. But then, I don't know the salary caps of the other women league around the world, so I don't know how it measures up.

Can't Wait

I can relate Mariana.  I'm from the states, but old enough to have not had the opportunity to play soccer.  I was actually active in petitioning my high school to start a girl's soccer team.  I was in an airport when the US womens' team won the world cup and was amazed at the excitement of the crowds watching the game on the monitors.  I hope it makes it this time.

Although I never played soccer growing up (not an option for me in NJ at the time), I fell in love with Women's soccer during the 1999 Women's World Cup here in the US and I was hooked.  When the WUSA league started, I was a proud holder of Washington Freedom season tickets, I was there at the first ever practice, there the day of the inaugural and championship games.  I went on crazy road trips just to watch games -- Philly, NY, Boston, Carolina, and Atlanta -- I was die-hard to say the least.  I was crushed when the league folded, although you could see it coming -- they insisted on catering to the kids.  Although I know that is a market they need to address, they also needed to embrace the lesbian community like the WNBA did, amongst other business plan improvements.

Regarding the level of talent in the league.  The WUSA did attract star players from just about every soccer powerhouse country and it definitely improved the level of play.  It not only gave young American players who were not in the National Team pool a chance to prove themselves, but also gave foreign players to play at a high level and earn a living.  Yes, there are leagues in other countries, but to my knowledge, the WUSA was the first to be fully professional.  I believe that made a difference in the WUSA's ability to attract worldwide talent, if not for the high level of play alone.  I think if stars from other countries come to play here, the level of play in the league will really help them stay in top form and will only help their national team in the end.

I liked that after the WUSA folded, it has taken some time to get another league off the ground.  It shows me that the league administration is addressing their business approach seriously and methodically, which will hopefully translate into success.  

Although many of the players from the '99 World Cup are retired, I believe that their legacy has lived on and interest in women's soccer has sustained.  I'm sure some of the well-known women's players who helped launch the WUSA will be involved and willing to help raise the league's visibility to a nostalgic, if not rabid, fan-base.  Then, the soccer will speak for itself.

The WPS will be a welcome change. I come from a culture where soccer is almost a religion unto itself. Considering that I watch a ridiculous number of soccer matches as it is, it will be refreshing to watch women play the sport. If Marta is lured, I'm buying a season pass.

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http://thequeerafrican.blogspot.com/

I'm queer and African ... deal with it

Thanks, hmmm, for mentioning how much an impact the WUSA had on women's football.  Two of the current stars of the team might not have made it, if not for the exposure they got in the league.  It only helped to raise the game of the foreign players also.  There's only so much practice you can do (as the US found out to their detriment last fall at the World Cup).  Having competitive games every week can only keep a player in top form.

I live near Detroit, so Chicago will be my team by default, but I'm sure we'll get some great players from pool of Nats.  I just hope this league realizes that there is a fan base other than the screaming 12 year olds they catered to last time. 

If they get the business side right the league will at least be somewhat successful.

 In Australia we've recently redone our whole men's league and starting a new women's model at the end of the year, its just about not over extending and it sounds like they've got it sorted pretty well. Sometimes the best thing they can do is start from scratch.

They'll get the players without a doubt, many young talented women go to American colleges to play as it is, and three of Australia's best players have agreed to play for the LA team in principle, the Boston team is scouting our goalkeeper (who I play with so I hope she doesn't go), Women playing have it tough, they have to sacrifice a lot and don't get too much to show for it, if there is any money or opportunities over there, the best players will flock to the league.

Girls football is the most popular played sport (in australia at least), now they just need to translate that too interest and attendences at national levels, the interest is there, so they've definitely got something to work off.

 I'm very interested in the development of the league, I'll watch pretty much whatever football is on, men, women, my little sisters, and it helps that I play, the womens game is completely different from how men play it, but just as exciting and beautiful if you appreciate it for what it is. The recent World Cup showed a lot of people that women do have the skills and football knowledge to play a decent game and if given the chance, it can be as exciting as any mens game around.

 (Marta is perhaps my favourite player ever in the world, maybe because I'm a little football obbsessed and anyone who can kick a ball is automatically a lot hotter than anyone who doesn't, but I can't wait to see her play more)

. . . takes on a whole new meaning.

I love women's football. This provides opportunity for female college athletes who would usually be forced to give up playing after graduation.

Yay for the DC team!  

I know Americans are famous for thinking big, but I doubt it'll be as easy to lure in foreign players as it was the last time. Women's soccer has evolved not only in the U.S. You will have to go up against some of the largest, most influential and well financed soccer associations in the world. And the old men at the top of these associations have finally come to realize that women's soccer is on the rise, and a promising market for the future. Hence they've come to realize the worth of their top players. I guess the WPS better bring a lot of money to the bargaining table this time. And I'm not sure if all these players are willing to instantly leave their home countries and move to the U.S. Some of them might be bound by partners or family.

I hope the WPS will be a success, especially since in the U.S. women's soccer IS more important than men's soccer. But wasn't one of the mistakes of the WUSA that expectations were too high? But if the WPS will work, it'll sure improve the situation for the players. More competition in this field should be welcome, to put other leagues under pressure and force them to move.

Most important: Are the lesbians going to come out in droves like they do for the WNBA??

As someone involved with one of the teams, I hope they do! I mean, who wouldn't want to, right? Great summer entertainment, affordable, the best women's soccer in the world (in terms of overall competition level, etc.), and we all know female soccer players are the hottest athletes... Okay that sounded a little like a sales pitch, but hell I know i'd buy a ticket if I wasn't working at the games.

International players will come for endorsement exposure and competition level. Well in theory that's why they will come, since the salaries won't be that hot (I'm assuming).

This next year is the most exciting time for women's soccer fans since 2001! Only this time it will work.