With diminishing numbers, and much cheaper competition coming from the WPSL, how long can the W-League stay around? If not for a new teams in the northeast where territories were already taken, that conference would have struggled, and if not for a couple of late entries (Santa Clarita / Arizona Rush) there wouldn't be a west coast either? As it is, Vancouver to Los Angeles needs a huge travel budget With USL1 and the SYL superseded by the Academy program and the ECNL - is it only a matter of time for the W-League?
If the W-League ever became genuinely threatened, I would think it would reform rather than disband, possibly becoming more like the WPSL rather than falling apart.
I'm not sure how it re-forms under USL ownership - they've just had a revolution with NASL. I don't know the detail of what happened in the west this year, but I know it almost didn't happen at all, and it would really have been a North-East league.
I don't think it will go away any time soon. I still think there is too much flux in the WPSL. A good example of this is the Midwest, which has 10 new teams this year. For example there are two new teams in the Chicago area. There were previously 2 other team 2 years ago. One lasted 2 seasons and the other 1. The west seems fairly stable for WPSL, but overall every year there is a lot of flux in teams.
Not sure the west is stable, at least in Nor Cal. This year we seem to have lost Sonoma County Sol (folded last year), Walnut Creek Power, Monterey Blues, and the new Seattle team. What gives?
The WPSL is owned by the teams, and the league itself is not run for profit. That makes is considerably cheaper to enter (something like $5k per team instead of $25k) and cheaper to operate (something like $4k per year instead of $13k). All USL teams are franchises, run for the intention of making money for USL, through higher start-up fees, higher running costs, and a 50 page fines manual. That's why a lot of W-League teams have jumped across to the WPSL, and I can't think of any that have gone the other way. With WPSL having more than double the number of W-League teams, it's difficult to see why anyone would go the USL option, unless they are in a geographical area already taken by an existing WPSL team. I feel bad for the newbie W-Leaguers... their costs haven't come down, but the product isn't what it was a few years ago, with very little outside New York and New Jersey.
Sound like you have a BEEF here. Having seen most of the W-League teams play in the past, I can honestly say most of the W-L teams would run circles around WPSL teams. Why? Overall BETTER product, Better players/foreign players/players that have playing experience in the WPL/European leagues, Better Coaches, Better run organization, Better Facilities, More National Team Players, More Division I players, Players who are more serious and disciplined, players that show-up for practices and games, players who don't have to pay for uniforms, travel expenses, hotels and some who are offered jobs, WPL players who might be nursing an injury or might need more playing time from the Big Club, I could go on and on. I have seen both leagues and have seen more WPSL teams disappear, dry up or never compete in the first place than I have seen in the W-League. Actually, I believe the WPL might be in jeopardy and most of those women will once again play in the W-League. The W-League isn't going anywhere!
What? This makes no sense... Why? Because W-League teams are coming over to the WPSL, or because the W-League is losing teams while the WPSL is gaining them, or because the WPSL has close to treble the teams that the W-League has in the United States? Better coaches? Like Tony DiCicco, Paul Riley, Abner Rogers, Ian Sawyers or Albertin Montoya who all coached in the WPSL then moved to WPS? I could go on an quote the 50 or so players now playing pro who came through the WPSL. As for seeing "most teams" in the W-League - I'm not sure whether to be impressed or skeptical. There's definitely quality in both, but the reality is that the W-League is going in the wrong direction, and is close to losing it's critical mass in terms of being national - mainly in the west and midwest.
I can assure you that after Jeff Cooper was instrumental in the USL1 Breakup and split with NASL, they won't be coming back in the W-League.