NWSL teams up with Overtime to reach next generation of soccer fans

The GIST: The NWSL kicked off an expansive content partnership with youth sports media brand Overtime yesterday, marking the Gen Z–driven company’s first deal with a pro women’s league. By partnering with the popular social media brand, the NWSL will be able to meet younger soccer fans where they are and cultivate new fandom within the next generation. Gaining ground.

The details: Overtime FC — the brand’s dedicated soccer channel, which has primarily focused on the men’s side — will share NWSL game highlights and behind-the-scenes videos to its over 5.4M total followers. Although Overtime is primarily known for its basketball content, Overtime FC is its third-largest channel and amassed 650M views in 2024.

• In addition to building its soccer following, Overtime has been focused on reaching women’s sports fans with the launch of Overtime Select, its girls’ basketball competition. Though it only launched last year, Overtime Select already has 4x more followers than other circuits and tournaments for high school girls’ basketball, including Nike’s EYBL.

The trend: Considering the data around women fans and women’s sports fans, leagues are turning to new media enterprises to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans where they are: online. Examples of this strategy include the NFL’s deal with Betches and The GIST’s fan-powered PWHL partnership, not to mention the NWSL’s existing agreement with Men in Blazers.

• This allows leagues like the NWSL to benefit from the investment and widespread exposure from traditional linear networks, while also leveraging access to content through niche brands to reach young, avid fans primed for soccer content.

Zooming out: Since Gen Z filters sports viewership through social media, a partnership with a platform like Overtime could steer users to NWSL broadcasts. Other leagues hoping to win over young fans should take a page out of this playbook and partner with companies that have sway with younger generations, something volleyball brand LOVB has excelled at. Putting on a clinic.