July 30, 2010 EXPANSION PLANS WPS sets sights on 2012
By Charles Cuttone Executive Editor
Women's Professional Soccer will stand pat next season, but plans to expand in 2012.
Dallas and Los Angeles have been confirmed as potential expansion candidates by Women’s Professional Soccer for the 2012 season.
“Dallas and Los Angeles are most active,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “The goal is an additional two teams in 2012.”
The league added two teams for this season, the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence, after launching with seven teams last year. However, the offseason folding of the Los Angeles Sol and the midseason dissolution of Saint Louis Athletica have reduced the league back down to seven franchises.
The league, which has only one team west of Chicago, Bay Area FC Gold Pride, is looking for a larger western presence.
“The focus continues to be Mississippi, west,” said Antonucci in a wide-ranging discussion of league issues including cutting expenses and a new focus within the league and among the owners in the wake of Athletica’s folding.
A Dallas group headed by Texas businessman Paul Marshall appears to be the furthest along in the conversations with the league, according to sources. Marshall, who owns Dallas Premier in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, attended the league’s recent all-star game and is scheduled to meet with league officials and some other team owners in the coming days.
According to one source, another market being looked at is Denver. The same source indicated that established soccer organizations both in and out of North America are looking at the league.
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind that we are going to see expansion franchises for 2012,” said David Halstead, owner of the Philadelphia Independence and co-chair of the league expansion committee along with Fitz Johnson, owner of the Atlanta Beat.
“We’ve got markets that are interested, contacting us,” said Halstead. “They want to see the new model that we have, they want to see the new financial plan, which has fewer loses.
“Discussions that had already started are even more serious now,” said Halstead.
