There’s a new opportunity coming for women who play soccer in Central Texas — and it will double as a place where they can learn how a front office works.
On Thursday, the group behind what’s initially being called ATX Women’s Soccer announced it will join Austin’s soccer landscape — although club president and cofounder Saara Hassoun said the name’s just a placeholder, noting, “We will be utilizing community input to determine the final name and branding of the club.”
The club plans to become the first Texas team to play in the USL W League come 2024, and its announcement comes just as a new WPSL team representing the region, Austin Rise FC, is readying to announce its 2023 schedule and home venues — with that league's site noting the Austin Rise FC home debut will be Sunday, June 11 at House Park against the San Antonio Blossoms.
The USL W League, with a season that runs from May through July, bills itself as “a leader in pre-professional soccer in North America, developing the next generation of women's talent both on and off the field,” and Hassoun says ATX Women’s Soccer will be in that mold.
ATX Women’s Soccer aims to provide an avenue for college players who want to keep their eligibility and test themselves in another competition on the way to following professional dreams. Though that might be on the field — as is the case with Kayla Thompson, a member of the founders’ group who plays professionally for Toluca FC Femenil in Mexico — it can also be for those aspiring toward sports business careers.
“Our players will train and compete at a high level on the field,” Hassoun noted, “while also having the opportunity to pursue internships and professional development training to grow their sports business experience.”
The press release says that the team will launch in tandem with the Front Office Development Program, a new nonprofit organization “with the mission of helping players develop both as athletes and as sports management professionals.”
“The club’s novel structure,” the release continues, “reflects its key values of being purpose-driven, people-powered, and player-centric.”
“Welcoming ATX Women’s Soccer as the W League’s first expansion club in Texas is a further testament to the commitment the USL has to growing the league’s national footprint,” said Amanda Vandervort, president of USL Super League and W League, by way of press release. “We are inspired by the club’s dedication to supporting player development on and off the field, as well as the team’s commitment to their community.”
Hassoun noted that even though the team is just being announced, they already have interns engaged in market research and business development to guide the process.
Details on where the team will play and who will be involved are still to be determined. Hassoun notes that Andy Lopez — Girls and Middle School Soccer Academy Director at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, where the ATX founders’ group has its roots — is involved with ATX Women's Soccer and will provide technical oversight along with Thompson until a head coach and other staff members are brought in to lead the team.
The press release also notes, “The team’s participation in the 2024 W League season is contingent on the formation of a new division, which will feature at least five new teams.”
As our Theo Lloyd-Hughes pointed out in a tweet highlighting the upcoming 2023 season, teams are concentrated in only certain regions of the United States, with what's regarded as the Sun Belt lacking representation — something the Austin announcement and forthcoming news from potential divisional rivals would potentially address in 2024.
There are no currently no teams in the #USLW beneath this line.
— Theo Lloyd-Hughes (@theolloydhughes) February 14, 2023
Apologies for any inaccuracies, there could be a couple of clubs that sneak in below the line, but this is a rough estimate of U.S. lower division (DIII) Woso. pic.twitter.com/1JuXBCif8v
ATX Women's Soccer will utilize the U.S. women’s national team match on Saturday against Ireland as a launchpad to announce its presence. That will include being part of the Austin chapter of American Outlaws’ Night Before Party at Haymaker (7 p.m, 2310 Manor Road) and the Fan Fest at Q2 Stadium for Saturday’s match (kicking off at 12:30 p.m.).