Mia Hamm says new women's league will fail

I very rarely start threads but I thought this deserved a thread of its own. Did you guys read the USA Today yesterday? It said women's soccer just doesn't translate into TV ratings and the 1999 final is still by far the highest rated game.

Mia said maybe a new women's league could succeed in the future but with 2 leagues folding in 10 years she said she doesn't see it happening anytime soon! Since she's the Wayne Gretzky of women's soccer I thought that this deserved its own thread!

An actual link:

Will U.S. women's soccer gold in London spark a new league?

LOL...thanks.

I read the physical newspaper but the headline was different.

It all depends on how you define "professional". The new league should be "professional", but it sounds like it will be to WPS what WPS was to WUSA. If that's possible (and if I've understood correctly). If WPS wasn't started in a recession, it might have survived, and since this "new league" is (mostly) just a reorganization of existing teams instead of a bunch of new organizations, I think the longevity should be there (as long as everyone in the different organizations play nicely together).

It will be interesting to see if they get a TV contract and if the same attendance issues come up.

I don't think TV will enter into this. If you read the other treads about the announced new league, it's really a more grassroots effort. Lower pay, possibly unpaid bench players, smaller arenas ... much more of a "place to play". Somewhat like other Euro/Asian leagues only without the sponsorship of men's teams and the better facilities. Some of the bigger names may play here, but a lot will not.

If there's any TV, there won't be any money in it and it'll be playing on ESPN8 on Tuesday afternoons. Expect streaming, but that's about it.

I don't think TV will enter into this. If you read the other treads about the announced new league, it's really a more grassroots effort. Lower pay, possibly unpaid bench players, smaller arenas ... much more of a "place to play". Somewhat like other Euro/Asian leagues only without the sponsorship of men's teams and the better facilities. Some of the bigger names may play here, but a lot will not.

If there's any TV, there won't be any money in it and it'll be playing on ESPN8 on Tuesday afternoons. Expect streaming, but that's about it.

I would say that she is making a broad comment, probably about a league similar to the WUSA & WPS where players were fully professional and could live (to some extent) on their pay from the season. Don't expect to see any league like that in the US in the near future. Those are the only attempts I'm aware of to go that route anywhere in the world. Semi-pro European women's leagues draw poorly and most wouldn't exist without outside help from the men's clubs/federations.

I just remember people saying how important TV was to WPS and how it wouldn't survive without a TV contract. It would be nice if FSC stepped up to the plate again since they have another FSC channel now don't they?

Well FSC lost MLS so they should have plenty of free schedule time. But I think if they can convince FSC to show some games weekly without having to pay FSC then they are probably doing well. I don't expect FSC to sponsor them.

Hell it is a shame they can't get a free airfare sponsorship from some airline, say SouthWest, to lower travel costs.

I expect their transportation sponsor to be BoltBus.

Will Puma give them uniforms and shoes again? They said WPS couldn't continue without that.

And don't forget the Skorts!

Not really true, they would probably be even less pro but without support but they would exist (most European leauge is grown from grassrot level and any support from federation and men's club have been usefull for the growth but not critical for their existence*).

*Based on my knowledge of the Nordic and German systems. For UK, Southern and Eastern Europe I may be wrong.

Perhaps I should have said "they wouldn't exist at their current level of professionalism".

At least 2 of the WPSL-Elite streamed some of their games (Chicago & WNY) as well as the Sounders Women. For at least one of them, TV "crew" seems to be an intern with a cheap camera. It doesn't have to be a big production.

GOLTV lost most of their soccer content.

But I doubt they would be interested. (or maybe even around by 2013).

Another way WPS might have survived: if people were even remotely as interested in paying to go see women's league soccer played week-in and week-out as they are for the cyclical and sporadic appearance of the US Women's National Team.

FSC+, which is basically the old Setanta, correct? And for which you have to pay an extra $15 or so a month? Not a solution.

I am not 100% sure, but it is possible they didn't pay FSC the last time around. USL didn't. The production costs? Yeah, those they'd have to pay and they're fairly substantial.

And I have no idea what the WPS ratings were, but I'm going to guess - given the general level of interest in the league and its relatively small footprint - that they weren't real high.

Mia doesn't know what she's talking about, regarding this topic.
She was a great player, but would make a mediocre coach, horrible sports commentator, and is not the best soccer analyst. However, she was a GREAT player. She just wan't leadership material. I don't think her word holds much credibility here, despite being one of the Top 3 women's soccer players of all-time for sure.

Thread had been demised for 8 months and a week.

And every franchise except the Chicago Red Stars are proving her wrong (so far).

i can't see this league not making it.
1. 200,000 payrolls, and teams are paying some players 6.000, which means many are way under the cap. budgets may look more like a w-league team instead of a wps team.
2. ussoccer and its' BIG sponsors supporting the league.
3. stars are covered financially by the federations. usa fans don't really care about international stars. usa and canada pools have enough star power and the college system proves talent equal to anything in europe.
4. actually this league so far is sticking to grass roots theme. lets see if they keep that mission statement. even local girls are on the commentator teams.
5. practices, based on wny's site, seem to run 1.5 hrs a day, which easily allows bottom girls to hold PT jobs. i still think missy geha is a coach and now a reserve. simone worked as bartender, played for yons, and was still an international caliber player so the usa girls can do it.
6. some owners like sahlen, sbfc, etc. don't seem to require an attendance threshold. and it looks like the spirit will be around 3000, as required by their ownership

unless this league gets stupid in a year and starts to spend crazy, i can't see it failing. it looks like the w-league with a bit more pocket change.

All good points.
The model is certainly there.
Let's put it this way, if this model ends up failing, nothing, and I mean NOTHING will work, unless you get Bill Gates to fund the league. And that ain't happening.

Even if Mexico were to pull out, I think the model would still work.
The league does need to add at least 2-4 more expansion teams over the next couple of years (Vancouver, Toronto, Cali teams, etc), to cover themselves. That gives them a security blanket, just in case a team like Chicago or Sky Blue has to fold, due to poor attendance.

Let's hope Mexico never pulls out, and at least funds 12 players (if not 16).
Let's hope Costa Rica jumps in, and possibly even Brazil and/or Colombia.
The more funded players in the league = the better.

As expansion happens, more players will be in the league.
This means Costa Rica's 7th and 8th best players can make it in this league, and so on.