News: NWSL general news and info

That's my feeling. WNY also has been selling season tickets for their current location. And did a black Friday sale which included vouchers for game tickets. Pretty sketch to be high tailing it a 5 weeks later

 

The Rhinos men's team got new owners who renovated the stadium. I believe @CoachJon has mentioned a believed falling out between Flash and Rhinos owners last season which may have affected this as there's no real viable alterative in that area that doesn't involve permanent football lines.

 

The big question is what team is CJ going to be supporting now?
I feel for you guys, but at least you got to win a championship first.

 

I think we already know what the announcement is....

North Carolina FC says it will make a "major announcement" on Monday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park. https://t.co/vTkEShmiHD

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) January 6, 2017

 

I was wondering how you were doing; had you already bought season tickets?

 

Yeah, but until a sale is final you have to proceed like business as usual and most of your staff will have no idea that a sale is in the works.

 

Thanks for thinking of me. I got my season tickets as soon as they went on sale.
I'm composing my thoughts about this news and will post them later.

(It is a 12 hr drive to Cary, NC and the flight to Raleigh is 3.5 hrs and $350+/-. I don't think I will commute).​

-CJ

 

The KC sale is quite old news. But WNY relocating... That's certainly out of the blue.

Relocations don't need time to build things up nearly as much, since they have a team already constructed for them. The only thing you have to worry about are stadium situation (already covered) and advertising (an entire offseason not needed).

 

Indeed. The new owners of Rochester Rhino's Stadium (formerly Sahlen's Stadium), the Dworkins, did invest in a new pitch and other upgrades. They still have the Rhinos to play there.

WNY has an interesting history, winning titles in 3 different leagues, and nice that Abby Wambach got to play in her hometown for a few seasons. But it remains a small market team. There is a ceiling on how well they can draw, especially with Wambach now retired, though did see an uptick in 2016.

North Carolina is (or has been) a hotbed for women's college soccer, and the "Research Triangle" (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) metro area has some 2 million people. And WakeMed, assuming they play there, is a perfect venue for women's soccer. Interesting to see if they keep the Courage moniker or envelop the team into North Carolina FC branding.

 

I thought of you as well. I feel very bad for you because, like me ans some others here, you are a true women's game fan, an NWSL supporter and you put your money where your mouth is as well as a very nice guy. Very happy to have met you last summer. I have met the whole Sahlen family and spoke to Joe on a couple of occasions and liked him and his wife very much. Great people. I will be anxious to read your opinion

 

Sad day for you CoachJon. Sorry you are losing your team.

 

I thought of you as well. I feel very bad for you because, like me and some others here, you are a true women's game fan, an NWSL supporter and you put your money where your mouth is as well as a very nice guy. Very happy to have met you last summer. I have met the whole Sahlen family and spoke to Joe on a couple of occasions and liked him and his wife very much. Great people. I will be anxious to read your opinion.

 

fyp
I understand the WNY may not have been the most idea market, but darn if seeing the literal winningest team in American club WoSo move out of the blue isn't throwing me for a loop...

 

The Boston Breakers must be happy about this news. They always got stomped by WNY Flash. If they keep the "rivalry" concept alive and base it on geography, the new rivalries would be Boston-Sky Blue, Washington-NC.

 

I think it is a sign of what is coming. MLS uses the silly terms of MLS 1.0, 2.0, etc. but thinking along those same lines, I think we are in the midst of a transition to NWSL 2.0. League office is staffing up this year with jobs focused on building sponsorships and broadcast/streaming/digital revenues. The big teams are increasingly pushing for more investment, faster growth. We're probably looking at 2-4 new teams over the next two years that will be of similar mindsets. Players like Dunn and Morgan going overseas and early retirements are driving home the need to increase salaries and give teams greater flexibility to splash dollars to get big players (designated player type stuff).

In that environment, the small teams are going to get left behind if they can't spend and keep up. So, the Sahlen's exit. Not long before Sky Blue does the same. Spirit maybe? Boston? Chicago has adapted and kept up from a facility standpoint.

League is rapidly changing, though, and pushing towards the things we all want to see the women have. Better support, better facilities, better money, etc. Unfortunately, inevitably in that there are causalities.

 

I'm still processing this as I just didn't see it coming, and the timing of it all being right after winning a championship is just crazy.

I agree that from a league perspective, I think it will be a good thing if NC proves to be the strong market that it appears to be. But I do sympathize with the WNY local fans who are losing their team and for some WNY front office people who are likely losing jobs.

 

A quick info post:
Per Jeff DiVeronica

Flash general manager Rich Randall declined comment Friday morning, saying he'd defer to ownership. The club is expected to issue a statement at some point Friday.

Front-office staff for the Flash, who are based in Elma, near Buffalo, and players were informed of the move Thursday, according to local sources​

not much else to note in the article.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com...port-wny-flash-sold-and-relocate-nc/96236206/

 

I am always sad for the fans and little kids when something like this happens. However, I agree with you in that if it has to happen, Cary, NC is a very good place to move. Great soccer tradition and support for the women's game.

 

My question though is who is signing the recently signed players like the Brazilians that was announced yesterday if they have sold the team? The new ownership or old ownership?

 

I don't see how the new ownership could have possibly been involved. Not only would player signings have been a long time coming, but the new ownership has no GM of its own.

 

Also, maybe Dunn

Speaking of Dunn, I would think her ears pricked up at this. If Chelsea were willing to loan her she might be keen to be a center piece back in her old stomping ground. On the Spirit side, the Flash/Courage certainly have the kind of young talent to make a trade work and Dunn's name would help with ticket sales.

 

Source tells me Debinha, whose signing with Flash was announced yesterday, had no idea team was about to relocate #NWSL

— Dan Lauletta (@TheDanLauletta) January 6, 2017