June 10 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is set to add a 12th team to its competition. San Diego will join the Los Angeles-based Angel City FC debuting in the 2022 season.
The new team is backed by US businessman Ron Burkle who was a member of the Sacramento bid for an MLS franchise that also had an ambition for an NWSL team. As that bid dissipated and Burkle pulled out, he has turned his attention to San Diego.
Burkle is managing partner of private investment firm The Yucaipa Companies and a part-owner of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Pittsburgh Penguins and co-founder. Former US women’s national team manager Jill Ellis will be president of the San Diego NWSL team and is relocating from Florida to California to take charge.
NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird: “We’ve always said that growth has to be done thoughtfully and deliberately. That’s exactly what we’ve done here. San Diego NWSL has all the hallmarks of a successful expansion club: a committed ownership group with the resources required to invest in the success of our league and our players, in a community full of soccer players and fans, in a region that has been underrepresented in our league. I can’t wait to watch it all come together.”
The new San Diego team will play its home games at the 6,000-seat Torero Stadium. The club’s official name, crest, and head coach will be announced at a later date.
Ellis explained her decision to join the new team to the San Diego Union-Tribune, saying: “This just felt right. Part of it is this desire that I can do more.
“Now I get to go hire a female GM and hire a female head coach and provide opportunities for others, and then there’s a ripple effect from there. I just felt that, gosh, I had 30 years on the sideline and it was awesome. But being able to open doors for others, that’s just a really good space to be in — to really help them pursue their dreams and, in doing so, provide role models for the next generation.”
San Diego had a team in the Women’s United Soccer Association league that was drawing 6,000+ crowds. The Spirit began in 2001 but the league folded in 2003.
The NWSL will enter its 10thseason in 2022. Six of the current 10 NWSL teams partner with men’s franchises. For the 2021 season teams are operating under a salary cap of $682,500.
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