A Professional Women's League of Champions Tournament

Discussion in 'Women's College' started by Tom81, Jan 4, 2020.

  1. Tom81

    Tom81 Member+

    Jan 25, 2008
    hotjam2 inspired me in a post on the 2020 FSU thread. He/she was talking about the makeup of the team Deyna signed with in Spain. The team included many players from across the globe, many of who played on their respective NTs. The following quote caught my eye.
    "Probably the team is good enough to play in the NWSL, but not playoff material."
    I'm not suggesting hotjam2 is wrong. I just don't know.
    I'm not at all acquainted with how many pro women's leagues are in Europe, or anywhere else for that matter. I believe the number is growing.
    Why not have a Super Bowl of women's leagues after each league crowns its champion?
    Unlike the NBA, NFL, MLB etc., this would be world wide.
    I imagine it would draw some serious interest and would become rather lucrative. It would also
    promote the women's game even further IMO.
    What say you?
     
    HeadSpun repped this.
  2. L'orange

    L'orange Member+

    Ajax
    Netherlands
    Jul 20, 2017
    UEFA has a Champions League playoff for the top teams in Europe (best two teams from every league on the continent, I think, plus a few other qualifiers, and most every country of size has a women's pro league). The annual Champions League playoff is a very big deal in Europe for the women and men. I believe FIFA has proposed creating a global Champions League-style playoff, as you suggest, though to me it sounds rather cumbersome as the UEFA Champions League already stretches out for many months, given the two-tie format.

    Otherwise, the England's FA Women's Super League is probably the best league in Europe. Germany, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugual, Iceland, Italy--they all have leagues as well. Most of the European leagues are very top heavy--that is, they have a couple of good teams who tend to dominate and a fairly significant falloff in competitiveness after that. England's FA WSL has 3 good teams and soon will have four or five. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are the two best teams in the Spanish league, and Atletico has won the league season title, I believe, the last two years.
     
  3. Tom81

    Tom81 Member+

    Jan 25, 2008
    I'm sure you are right about the cumbersome nature, but if the idea gained steam, they could revamp the current European playoff format, or just include the NWSL in it.
    How do you feel the best Euro league champions would fare against the NWSL champion?
     
  4. 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
    On recent count, CONCACAF domestic women's leagues numbered at least 6. That, to me, is enough to warrant a CONCACAF Women's CL, and I want that badly as a woso fan. I dream that his would somehow lead into a Women's Club World Cup.

    Honestly, I think pretty much what the OP is suggesting. Just within a framework that is already there over on the men's side.
     
  5. Soccerhunter

    Soccerhunter Member+

    Sep 12, 2009
    Tom,

    I believe that there is exactly the playoff you are proposing already in existence.

    It is called the "Women's International Championship Cup". It is played in August after most league play is over. (Except for USA) It is a four team tournament of the best professional teams in the world.

    In 2019 the participants were:

    Olympique Lyonnaise - the 5 time UEFA Champions League winners
    Atletico Madrid - UEFA Champions League semi finalist
    Manchester City - FA WSL runner up
    North Carolina Courage - NWSL Champion

    While the Courage beat Lyon in 2018 2-1 in this tournament, they lost to Lyon this year 1-0 in a statistically evenly played game. ...Very good soccer on display. (In 2019 it was played in Raleigh on the defending champions turf.)
     

Share This Page