UWS officially launched

Discussion in 'US Women's Lower Divisions' started by SiberianThunderT, Dec 16, 2015.

  1. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    This was posted in the W-League-is-dead thread yesterday:
    http://www.masslive.com/sports/2015/12/new_england_mutiny_excited_to.html
    Leaking the foundation of a new league, spearheaded by the New England Mutiny (who were very unhappy with WPSL recently) and picking up a few W-League orphans.

    Well, now it's been "officially" announced:
    http://nesoccertoday.com/?p=39892
    It's up to 8 teams instead of the 5 listed yesterday, though the "New Jersey Valkyries" from the first article are not mentioned in today's article (unless by a different name) the Valkyries are TSF. Two of the teams are in Ontario, though those are still pending approval from the CSA. Still no teams outside of the northeast.

    The league will be pro-am like WPSL was.

    Still no sign of a website, from what I can tell, though.

    I'm definitely interested in the very last blurb, saying that there are apparently predetermined DII provisions that clubs/leagues can meet. USSF never officially declared WPSL or the W-League as a DII league, so I'm very curious as to what those DII provisions are.
     
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  2. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
  3. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    I'm a derp - http://uwssoccer.com/ was linked in the New Jersey Copa FC article. X-D

    Literally nothing more than a splash page and a link to their official presser about the founding of the league at the moment, of course.
     
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  4. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    *Quebec
     
  5. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sleek, if non-functional, page. Not liking the Magic logo.
     
  6. A. Dufresne

    A. Dufresne Member

    Nov 7, 2015
    Yeah, I think that's the same NY Magic logo they've had since their inception in the 90's. Could definitely use an update for UWS. For sure.

    As far as the UWS logo that is posted, that is a temporary one. From what I've heard they will have the fans choose their logo for them, giving them two options to vote on. Expect to see something posted in that regard pretty soon. The initial website they set up is definitely better than the one I recall that WPS set up, so... it functions fine for me for right now. They need to step up on their early social media game, though. I've heard they've been kind of slammed as far as interest, so that's good news.

    The NJ Copa FC side were affiliated with Sky Blue FC, as stated in an article I saw last spring. I don't know if that is still the case. Everyone knows about the WPSL and W-League sides involved but they could very well be the strongest of the group. A great club with one helluva quality setup. In that group of Northeast teams, I can see five (NJ, LI, NE & the 2 Canadian teams) competing for the conference title. That's a good thing.

    There is a group of western teams set to join and I guess its just a matter of dotting the I's, crossing the T's. I wonder what's the future of the Southeast since Charlotte, the CE Cobras (both won't join the WPSL) and Atlanta are still out there. Plus, remember last summer the WPSL Sunshine Conference completely opted out of the playoffs. Could that be another area of expansion? It should be an intriguing month leading up to the NSCAA Convention.
     
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  7. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
  8. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They have been public for a while:

    V. Division II Women's Outdoor League:

    a. Composition; Play
    i. League must have a minimum of six teams to apply. By year three, the league must have a minimum of 8 teams.
    ii. U.S.‐based teams must participate in all representative CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible.

    b. Markets; Stadia; and Fields
    i. A majority of the league’s teams must play in metropolitan markets of at least 500,000 persons.
    ii. All league stadiums must have a minimum seating capacity of 2,000.
    iii. Not later than 120 days prior to the start of each season, each team shall have a lease for at least one full season with its home stadium.

    c. Financial Viability
    i. The League must demonstrate adequate financial viability to ensure continued operation on a season‐by‐season basis either in the form of a performance bond or similar instrument for each team in the amount of fifty thousand US dollars (US $50,000), or readily‐available league funds representing such amounts. The funds will be used to cover the costs of the teams’ operations (including, without limitation, player and staff salaries and wages, stadium lease commitments and third party vendor obligations in addition to commitments by each team to the league) for a season, should that become necessary. Any team whose performance bond is used during the season will be required to replenish it at least 120 days prior to the next season.
    ii. Each team ownership group must demonstrate the financial capacity to operate the team for three years. As part of the process of demonstrating financial capacity, each ownership group must provide detailed financial history (if applicable) and projections (including a detailed budget) for the team to the Federation in a form satisfactory to the Federation. In addition, each team must have and its governing legal documents must designate one principal owner with a controlling interest who owns at least 35% of the team and has authority to bind the team. Such principal owner must have an individual net worth of at least seven million five hundred thousand US dollars (US $7,500,000) exclusive of the value of his/her ownership in the league or team and his/her primary personal residence. Federation shall have the right to require an independent audit to establish that the principal owner’s net worth meets this requirement; the cost of such audit shall be the responsibility of the team or league. The Federation will take reasonable steps to protect from disclosure and limit access to financial information provided under this section.

    d. Team Organization
    i. All of the required positions set forth in Section I(g) must be filled by full‐time staff during the season.
     
  9. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    #9 SiberianThunderT, Dec 28, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2015
    Thanks! I just had never even heard of them discussed before, so I have no clue where to look. I couldn't for the life of me find them on USSF's site, whatever I typed into the search bar or filtering through all the info links at the bottom.

    Makes me curious now as to why the W-League never was officially recognized as a DII league... I could see USL never putting the effort in to cover some of the "financial viability" requirements, or maybe some of the teams never met provision b.ii....

    =edit=
    So I just found the full list of provisions on your website, and while I'm seeing some other parts of the "general" requirements that I could see USL have not cared about for the W-League, I also see that all the requirements listed are for professional leagues. So as long as the W-League was pro-am, it would never get DII, I assume. Which would also pose a problem for UWS if they want to keep NCAA-compliant and if I've understood correctly.
     
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  10. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, and I do not believe many owners in W-League history had $7.5 M net worths.

    USL had talked about (and perhaps even actually announced, as they did with the PDL Plus thing) a "W Pro" setup, but it never came to fruition.

    You need money, kids. It takes money to do this well. You can fiddle around for a bit, but unless you have money, it's fairly pointless.
     
  11. A. Dufresne

    A. Dufresne Member

    Nov 7, 2015
    There's no way that women's soccer in its current state can have a D2 by the financial numbers involved and/or the strict letter of the law. But can one exist where there are standards for both the on & off the field product? Absolutely. I'd think something along the lines of what exists in Div. I collegiate soccer is what is needed: quality venues, league/player stats & schedules you can rely on, proper team & league promotion, etc.

    I've certainly had enough of showing up to WPSL games where there's only a field... no bleachers, PA, concessions. Never mind if either team actually showed up with enough players. I went to a WPSL game last summer where the home team barely could field 11 players. It took the home team right up 'til kickoff to get that 11th player to show up. I wonder if those WPSL teams who skipped the playoffs last year will stay be allowed to play in the league this year? Of course they will. Standards, my friends... standards.
     
  12. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    #12 SiberianThunderT, Dec 30, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2015
    Which is what W-League already was. Not a new idea.

    WPSL is an absolute sieve in terms of standards, that's for sure. However, do your research... a good portion of the teams that skipped the playoffs last year (Tampa Bay and the Sunshine region, the ASA Charge, etc.) did so for political reasons, not for feasibility reasons. In fact, as far as the information available, the only playoff dropout last year for feasibility reasons was Seacoast United. We don't know why Fire&Ice SC didn't show, but considering they went all-out the last time they qualified for playoffs, I'm betting their issue was political and not feasibility as well. So have standards, as you suggest, would not have fixed any of those problems (directly, at least).

    As a final note, we already have threads for the WPSL and for the W-League. No need to come in to the UWS thread just to trash the others.
     
  13. A. Dufresne

    A. Dufresne Member

    Nov 7, 2015
    I'm sorry if you took offense of my critique of the WPSL. But if I'm trying to discuss "standards" how can I compare/contrast without bringing them up? Especially since they're the only comparison at this juncture? Also, how can I not bring in my own personal experience?

    Simply put, if there are no standards, anarchy can and will ensue. I equivocate "standards" in this case as consequences for actions or inactions. Period. As we've seen all along with that league that I may/may not be allowed to compare/contrast or bring up by name in this thread.

    The W-League suffered not only from its almost too strict adherence to standards, but from a league setup that allocated all its resources and focus to the men's game. That's what I like so far about UWS: there is no official affiliation with a men's league. The same goes with that other league that I may/may not be allowed to compare/contrast or bring up by name in this thread.

    If you could elucidate on what you mean regarding "feasibility" and "political," it would be appreciated. Do you mean "political" as in trying to make a statement against the league? Kind of like standing up for themselves in the face of injustice?

    Again... I apologize. But I don't know how else to discuss the topic (D2 status) that was being discussed in this thread without bringing up particulars and/or my own experience. Have a good day!
     
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  14. SJJ

    SJJ Member

    Sep 20, 1999
    Royal Oak, MI, USA
    Club:
    Michigan Bucks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One of the previous iterations of the pro league was supposed to have been managed by USL; that put some damper on a separate USL W-Pro league, then the USL management agreement never happened.
     
  15. A. Dufresne

    A. Dufresne Member

    Nov 7, 2015
    It looks like UWS will unveil their official logo this week at the NSCAA Convention. They've been posting about it today on social media. Also... as far as this "West" conference is concerned, I've heard the league is trying to wade through all the inquiries and the dynamics of who will play who, etc. I did a bit of recon and it looks like the Santa Clarita Blue Heat are going with UWS. Check their timeline on their Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/scblueheat/
     
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  16. SJJ

    SJJ Member

    Sep 20, 1999
    Royal Oak, MI, USA
    Club:
    Michigan Bucks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BAmp8u-AB_1/
    Really? That's the logo? I kinda' like the simpler circle with the UWS letters (in three diff colors, subtly) that was shown on the twitter page.
     
  17. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    I think they overdid it/overcomplicated it with the "W", but otherwise I'm okay with it. The temp logo looked like it was for a government office or a paper company.
     
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  18. SJJ

    SJJ Member

    Sep 20, 1999
    Royal Oak, MI, USA
    Club:
    Michigan Bucks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    yeah, they did. It looks like the ESPN-W logo, morphed to have someone kicking a ball.
     
  19. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's something kind of kooky about the ponytail. Other than that, I'm on board.
     
  20. A. Dufresne

    A. Dufresne Member

    Nov 7, 2015
    Yeah, I'm on board with the new logo as well. The temporary one was better than other temporary ones I've seen in the past but like Siberian said, it didn't fit for a sports league. I think they tried to go a bit modern with the "W" while sticking to form with the rest of the logo? I checked out the link to the designer's blog and it grew more on me after that. It looks like they can have some nice apparel options with it.
     
  21. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
  22. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
  23. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Was there a statement on the target number of teams for their first year?
     
  24. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    They want two divisions, so I assume that means at least 12 teams and probably closer to 16. It's getting late for them to get that western division worked out, though, so I'm skeptical of it materializing.
     
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  25. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    #25 SiberianThunderT, Jan 31, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2016
    Speaking of the new website and potential teams...
    If you go to the current "teams" page, it lists the eight we already knew, noting that the two Canadian teams are still pending.

    HOWEVER

    Check out the upper right of the screen:
    UWS_teamhint_160131.jpg
    Among the eight teams we know, we also see the Santa Clarita Blue Heat, (already mentioned in this thread based on their own Facebook page,) RSL women, and the Houston Aces. Of note, RSL and the Aces were two of the only teams ever mentioning a desire to revive WPSL Elite, so now that I've seen them throwing their hat into the UWS ring, I'm 99.999% sure any chance of WPSL Elite happening is dead.

    =EDIT=
    A quick search shows no real updates from Houston, but RSL retweeted an article from last week that also mentions the Denver Pride and Colorado Storm as joining UWS's Western Division. The Storm were in the W-League previously, and if the Denver Pride are a renamed Colorado Pride, they're also a W-League orphan.

    Of note in that article is the mention RSL plans to play eight conference games, which would perfectly fit a home-and-away schedule between just the five Western division teams currently known... Seems like quite a light schedule to me, which is bad by itself and unfortunately sounds like they don't plan on getting any more teams in their Western half for this first season.
     

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