Hmm I not sure you can assume roughly same % of women's soccer fansgiven they are a soccer country and we are not. Of course their model depends on men's clubs supporting teams. That isn't going to happen here, so we need something else. By some peoples arguements the model FB is not an option because it is basically a charity, the attendance doesn't support the budgets.
that's how it's done in a soccer country that has a long history of strong, rich mens soccer teams. and even then its "success" is an exception among soccer countries with strong, rich mens soccer teams. if there was a lesson there we would have picked it up. it's way easier. but you first have to have rich, stable, mens teams. we don't have that. hence the gut wrench after gut wrench.
We're getting off-topic a bit, but there are a few things Germany does that U.S. teams and leagues have so far not wanted to emulate: 1. Establishing de facto company teams like Wolfsburg, where a lot of the players work for company sponsor Volkswagen. The only U.S. sports team I know that has done something similar is the MISL's Baltimore Blast, where the owner also owns a bank that sponsors the team and employs some of the players. 2. Lots of underwriting from men's teams and the federation. So the expectations are totally different. And, of course, there's another factor -- if the team isn't in the Champions League, it never has to step on a plane and rarely has to stay in a hotel. American geography is a killer.
It's not really a charity - sports in Germany are run, with very, very few exceptions, by non-profit multi sports clubs. Bayern Munich, for example, also runs chess and gymnastics sections. Women's soccer - like amateur soccer - is not financed by ticket sales, for the most part. More important is the income of the club as a whole (through more profitable sections as well as membership fees) and, very important, sponsors. Sports clubs here (and this includes the men's teams) are not run with the idea to make a profit. They are more like college teams.
what's wrong with the wps? i saw nothing wrong with sahlen's model. in fact it's a perfect model for a women's soccer. owner with a business that benefits from free advertising and a million or so write off yearly. dan's model was perfect. 8-10 owners like sahlen on different scales and the wps would be fine with a couple of cheap teams filling in the blinks. subtract dan and wps would have had a season this yr.
I was not saying it is a charity. I was pointing out the hypocrisy of many people who say that women's soccer should not be run as an issue or a charity, that it needs to stand on it's own two feet, who then point out the "successful" FB as a model. I really want WPS to succeed. I just think all of us armchair CEOs with our opinions of how it should work, miss many details.
Hmm, The contracts were terminated with the cancellation of the WPS season. Nobody knows if Alex was even offered a contract. I am sure there are other considerations in play as well. For example, Seattle is a much easier commute for games during the USWNT camps. Funny thing is most people consider Hope Solo too loyal, since she has been loyal to a fault to the 2 worse owners in the history of WPS. Thankfully she distanced herself from the DB.
Really can't blame a 22-year old woman wanting to spend more time with her boyfriend while making decent money.
where was it posted the sounders pay more than sahlen? when did paul allen's group take over the women's club? last time i read they weren't interested, just like DC united wasnt interested in the freedom.
Did I say she was paid more? I assume they are paying her okay, but it's not like she isn't making more money from other sources. Making more money in Buffalo when you bf is across the country isn't that great a deal if you have choices.
http://www.soccer365.com/news/features/the_grainey_report/11814/flight_abroad_for_wps_veterans Found this on Twitter; I think we knew most of these moves already, but there are a few interesting tidbits in there (including the reason I found it: Chalupny to Russia's Rossiyanka - wait, scratch that, Chicago Red Stars)
I've been sent along a rumor that Becky Sauerbrunn will return to the Maryland Soccerplex to play for the DC United Women. I'll see if I can do anything to confirm or deny that.
Former WPS player, ex-MagicJack, graduate of George Mason University, and Jamaican WNT, Omolyn Davis is signed with Energiya Voronezh in Russia for 2012.
Seems like Russian oligarchs are starting to do in women's soccer what they've long done in women's basketball. They're like Borislow in the sense that they're content to sink money into building a team.
A youtube clip of Bayern Munich women vs. the National Team of Slovenia. Bayern wins 5-1 Sarah Hagen is the tall #8 in red that scores the first goal. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW-75ycozwc"]Die Tore: FC Bayern München - Frauennationalmannschaft Slowenien - YouTube[/ame]
Yes it does look that way. Although I also noticed, incidentally, that the Russian oligarchs don't seem to be quite so conspicuous these days when it comes to laying out cash for WNBA players. It seems like it's spreading around more -- there are some major names in Russia but there's also a bunch in places like Turkey, Poland, Israel, and other places. There's an interactive map on the WNBA website for those who are interested in taking a look.
Spartak's sugar daddy was murdered a couple years ago, leading to the breakup of their superteam, and CSKA's women folded after their main sponsor pulled out. Great article about the Spartak women from 2007: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=rollinginrubles
Maybe a dumb question or one that's already been asked or both, but are there any ex-WPS players who are planning to play in both W-League or WPSL this spring and summer, and then Australia this year fall and winter?. It appears that the schedules don't overlap. Would FIFA allow it?
Some of the offseason appearances in Australia this winter seemed to defy any sort of transfer calendar. Not sure whether that's just FIFA's disinterest in enforcing things in women's soccer (surely not a high priority) or some creative loan arrangements. And in a lot of cases, yes, it's fairly easy to hop between the two leagues and still fit in both transfer windows. I recall FIFA getting a little miffed when Jorge Campos was loopholing his way between MLS and Mexico, but in this case? I think we'll see plenty of players hitting both of the W-Leagues without objection.