⚽ For angels to fly
Angel City FC reportedly exploring sale of controlling stake in club
The NWSL is selling like hot cakes — within the last week, two of its highest-valued franchises have put up the ‘for sale’ sign. A day after the San Diego Wave announced its impending $120M sale, Sportico reported that Angel City hopes to sell a controlling stake amid ownership friction.
March 18, 2024
⚽ Primed for success
NWSL expands use of Amazon’s suite of services with extensive multiyear partnership
Commerce behemoth Amazon is expanding its recent NWSL media rights deal through a multiyear partnership with the league that involves Amazon Prime and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Additionally, the deal makes Amazon the exclusive retail partner of the NWSL and an official licensee.
March 13, 2024
🏟️ Elevate her pitch
WSL attendance is on the rise as clubs continue to break records
The Women’s Super League (WSL) is enjoying a 43% attendance boost YoY, with Arsenal leading the way in proving that the league deserves a bigger stage. While popularity and crowd sizes do vary among clubs, the overall numbers show upward trends across the board.
March 11, 2024
⚽ 24K magic
24 Hour Fitness becomes founding partner of Angel City FC through multiyear deal
24 Hour Fitness is bulking up its existing NWSL ties. After renewing and expanding its year-long sponsorship of San Diego Wave FC last month, the gym brand signed a multiyear deal yesterday to become a founding level partner of Angel City FC.
March 08, 2024
🏆 Fancy a cuppa?
UK expresses interest in hosting FIFA Women’s World Cup in the 2030s
As the UK further invests in expanding its women’s soccer footprint, governmental agency UK Sport shared its ambitions to host the country’s first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) in the 2030s.
March 08, 2024
⚽ New rules
NWSL issues ownership rules for private equity and sovereign wealth fund investment
NWSL owners rolled out new rules last week about how private equity (PE) funds can invest in multiple teams. The policy also excludes sovereign wealth funds from ownership, meaning Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and other state-owned investment funds will be unable to buy NWSL stakes as the league grows.
March 04, 2024
💰 Stake and potatoes
TOCA signs multiyear partnership with NWSL’s Thompson sisters
Soccer tech company TOCA announced an extensive multiyear partnership with Angel City FC teammates (and sisters!) Alyssa and Gisele Thompson yesterday. While the Thompsons have secured groundbreaking deals in the past, this marks their first deal that includes an equity stake.
February 28, 2024
🇦🇺 She’ll be right
Australia reports economic impact of $867.5M from 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
February 26, 2024
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) had a profound economic and social impact for host country Australia, according to a recent Football Australia report. Here are some key numbers from the Land Down Under.
Read Full Story
NWSL season start & NCAA basketball Selection Sunday preview
Ep #349

NWSL season start & NCAA basketball Selection Sunday preview

March 14, 2024

Happy Pi Day!

On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are serving up slices from a stacked sports weekend ahead.

First up, the gals preview what’s bound to be a massive NWSL season before the new campaign kicks off on Friday. From a new media rights deal, to new expansion teams entering the fold, to star players rocking new jerseys, there’s a lot to unpack on the pitch.

Then for part two, El and Steph are hooping it up ahead of Selection Sunday on March 17th. The women’s and men’s March Madness brackets drop on St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s no luck needed here with these two as your guides to the college game.

Thank you to Aflac for supporting today’s podcast! Bounce back from expenses health insurance doesn’t cover with Aflac’s supplemental support. Learn more at Aflac.com.

Continue Reading

📺 On the telly
WSL begins negotiating new media rights deals with UK networks
After joining forces with the Women’s Championship (WC) and reorganizing under NewCo, the Women’s Super League (WSL) is taking the next big step toward getting paid. Following in the footsteps of FIFA and the NWSL, the WSL is negotiating to have every game shown live in the UK next season.
February 16, 2024
📱 Nothing but net
Google inks integrated multiyear partnership with the NWSL
During a hectic 2024 NWSL offseason, the league made its own game-changing move by signing a multiyear partnership with Google yesterday. Google Pixel will become the NWSL’s official mobile phone partner and a title sponsor, in addition to supporting tech activations.
February 14, 2024
💸 Feeling brand NewCo
NewCo lands $25.2M loan from the English Premier League
England’s newly-formed NewCo, which consists of the top two flights of English women’s football — the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship (WC) — just landed a $25.2M interest-free loan from the English Premier League (EPL) several months after the WSL requested money to revamp UK women’s soccer.
February 12, 2024
⚽ Pitching in
Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse invests in AFC Toronto City
AFC Toronto City — the third club in Canada’s prospective pro women’s soccer league Project 8 — announced an exciting investment from legendary Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse on Wednesday, awarding him an ownership stake in the team.
January 19, 2024
🏟️ Current affairs
The Kansas City Current locks down numerous sponsorships ahead of brand new stadium opening
Last October, Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway (CPKC) became the naming sponsor for the KC Current’s new stadium, the first built solely for a women’s pro sports team.
January 17, 2024
🌹 Accept this rose
The Portland Thorns were sold to the Bhathal family for a record $63M
The sale marks a record price for an NWSL team — it’s higher than the $53M expansion fee for Bay FC and Boston and nearly double the $35.5M sale of the Chicago Red Stars last August.
January 05, 2024