If anyone can do this and bring a NWSL team to Indianapolis it's Peter Wilt and I think that would be awesome. He was one of the original owners who founded the Chicago Red Stars. Very capable man. Lauren Cheney is from Indianapolis. Maybe a reallocation may be in order when this happens.
What do you think this means for the existing FC Indiana? Would any of the players make the cut? Since it's basically the Haitian NT anyways, would they take their operation somewhere else?
I don't think it affects them at all. They have been playing in South Bend, IN lately. Which is actually closer to Chicago than Indianapolis. There is also "FC Pride" who do play in Indianapolis in the WPSL, but I doubt it'd have much effect on them either. And if any of the Haitian NT players were good enough, they'd play in the NWSL already. They don't have to wait for an Indiana based NWSL team to exist.
Not like FCI draws big crowds now anyway - I expect most of their fans come because they like the team, not because they're general WoSo fans looking for a game. I doubt a nearby NWSL team would affect their current fan base much.
Huh. Even though it's a low-commitment statement to a fan Tweet, Sacramento Republic FC is now on record as also being interesting in an NWSL team: @Jasonbr188 def something we'd love to have in the long-term— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) February 3, 2015 "Long-term"... since I doubt LAFC would want to start a men's AND women's team right off the bat in 2017, could there be a pair of NWSL teams popping up in California in 2018?
Interesting. I hadn't heard that they had any interest in a women's team. I wonder if Bonney Field will stay around if/when Sac Republic gets in the MLS and has a new stadium built. I'm not sure about the new stadium (seen different renderings and don't know what the current favorite is), but I have thought Bonney Field is the perfect size for a NWSL team.
I'm honestly not sure they do, since they were just answering something a fan brought up - no sign if it was actually on their radar. The cynical side of me sees "in the long term" as potential code for "we're not thinking of this right now but don't want to actually say "no" because that would sound bad". X-D But it certainly would be fun to see two Cali teams join up at the same time!
Well, LAFC was similar. Mia Hamm was asked by reporters if they had any interest in a women's team. So both are quite different than RSL and Indy who brought it up themselves. And both answers very well could turn out to be the not wanting to say no because that would sound bad.
So apparently Pittsburgh is now on the table for 2018? http://equalizersoccer.com/2015/02/11/the-lowdown-when-where-nwsl-expansion/ I still think Indy and SLC are the most likely expansion possibilities at the moment.
I'd heard Pittsburgh mentioned before, but I don't think they have the wherewithal to field a NWSL team at this moment. I mean, this happened less than a year ago: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/r...11-bankruptcy-protection/stories/201403270271 Teams with solid MLS and NASL backing surely will be preferred over a struggling USL Pro team.
Pittsburgh is way out there. I doubt it happens. Ideally, it would be perfect for the NWSL to add Salt Lake City for 2016 [10 teams], Indiana & Atlanta for 2017 [12 teams] then Sacramento & Toronto for 2018 [14 team].
RSL posted an interview with Sara Cowley, a former player who now works on the administrative side, and she said they hope to be in NWSL in the next two years. http://realsaltlakewomen.com/player-interviews/2015/02/sara-cowley/
To be exact, she said, " In two years, we hope to be one of the new teams joining the National Women’s Soccer League."
Apparently there are some issues with the approval process for getting the RSL2 stadium done: http://www.sltrib.com/home/2172855-155/fairgounds-soccer-stadium-deal-on-shakey TL;DR Fairpark was denied a 50 year lease extension, they need it so they can sign a 40 year lease with RSL for the stadium.
While this does suck and is a bump in the road, it isn't slowing down RSL. They've got other sites lined up that they are working on.
Don't know. The team just mentioned other sites. The owner owns a very large development company and he has a lot of clout with the state. He'll find some place to put the stadium. A lot of the cities in the Salt Lake Valley have noticed the economic boost that Sandy has received since Rio Tinto was built and they want a piece of the pie.
Well, the Fairgrounds seemed like a great location to have a NWSL team. Perhaps it will still work out. I wonder if they were to build a stadium elsewhere if they'd still need to have artificial turf? That could be a positive of putting it in another suburb.
The Fairgrounds was an excellent location, but the state legislature has some old ducks who didn't like the plan, or didn't think it was wise to invest that much money in another 50 year lease. But things could still turn around. The location wasn't the deciding factor for having a turf field, it was the number of events they are planning to host. Rio Tinto's field has been hammered in the past by hosting extra events other than RSL games, and the team was planning on having the Monarchs, RSL Women, high school playoffs (football and soccer), concerts, and other events, at the new stadium. They decided to go with turf in order to ensure the field can withstand all of those events.
Well, I figured it being at the fairgrounds was the reason for all the extra events. I was thinking that if the stadium was in a suburb it would be less likely to be hosting all those additional events.
Nope. The state high school soccer championships are currently played at Rio Tinto, and they've been trying to get the football championship games as well (currently played at U of U's Rice Eccles Stadium). They've also held rugby games, a Junior College Football bowl game, and even held a snow-cross snowmobile event once. They want to move as many events as possible outside of Rio Tinto in order to keep the field as pristine as possible. The terrible field from the beginning of last season left a very sour taste in the owner and organization's mouth.
Well, if they have too many events at Rio Tinto now, why are they trying to get more? That seems silly. Just let that stay at Rice Eccles.