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NWSL expansion to Bay Area? UPD: granted

PCSPounder

PCSPounder

Stadium Groupie
Apr 12, 2012
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The Outskirts of Nutria Nanny
LadyStanley said:


Paywall.

Could probably share stadium with Earthquakes. Or maybe one of the college stadiums.
Click to expand...

I would venture that Spartan Stadium should be out of the soccer business by now. A return to the women’s game might outdraw the Quakes,

Eh, maybe that’s the problem. After all, the Quakes have the stink of the Oakland A’s all over them. Same ownership and management.
 

Reaser

Registered User
May 19, 2021
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PCSPounder said:
I would venture that Spartan Stadium should be out of the soccer business by now. A return to the women’s game might outdraw the Quakes,

Eh, maybe that’s the problem. After all, the Quakes have the stink of the Oakland A’s all over them. Same ownership and management.
Click to expand...

Spartan Stadium was always 'great' on TV, when players would disappear into the corners ...
 
KevFu

KevFu

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May 22, 2009
9,189
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Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans
It's a no brainer to put a team in the Bay Area.

You have money, progressive thinking, it's extremely fertile soccer ground. Stanford, USF, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, Pacific and San Jose State have soccer teams in the area; so you've got player pipelines who can bring in fans.

The largest crowd ever to see women's soccer was set at 72,000+ at Stanford Stadium in 1999. It was then topped at the Rose Bowl six days later.
 
KevFu

KevFu

Registered User
May 22, 2009
9,189
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Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans
Not really related, but an excuse to tell a story...

I got into soccer during the 1994 World Cup. Then I went to college and dated a women's soccer player. So I was all in for the 1999 Women's World Cup. Needless to say, I had a huge crush on Brandi Chastain and half her teammates, but mostly Chastain.

So fast forward about 15 years. I'm working with a college sports team. And when we travel, people at airports or restaurants talk to you all the time, and you just politely reply and try and get out of the convo as soon as possible; because none of these people have anything interesting to say; just that your players are tall, or they heard you're having a good year.

We come out of an arena after a practice before a road game. There's a cute woman casually circling on a bicycle, and her kids are on their bikes with her. She slows down and starts talking to me about watching our practice through the window. She's cute, but I'm not flirting with some mom. It's another "airport convo" so I politely reply while briskly walking to the bus.

I get on the bus, and our assistant coach -- who's sister-in-law was playing for the USWNT at the time -- asked "what were you talking to Brandi about?"

"Brandi?" I was shocked. The assistant said "You're supposed to be a big USWNT fan!" And I'm like "You don't understand! I had her Sports Illustrated cover hanging on my wall in college! I STILL HAVE a huge crush on her! I just saw the kids and put my head down!"

One of my biggest crushes ever was trying to talk to me and I totally blew her off. Totally embarrassing.
 
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PCSPounder

PCSPounder

Stadium Groupie
Apr 12, 2012
2,876
574
The Outskirts of Nutria Nanny
KevFu said:
Not really related, but an excuse to tell a story...

I got into soccer during the 1994 World Cup. Then I went to college and dated a women's soccer player. So I was all in for the 1999 Women's World Cup. Needless to say, I had a huge crush on Brandi Chastain and half her teammates, but mostly Chastain.

So fast forward about 15 years. I'm working with a college sports team. And when we travel, people at airports or restaurants talk to you all the time, and you just politely reply and try and get out of the convo as soon as possible; because none of these people have anything interesting to say; just that your players are tall, or they heard you're having a good year.

We come out of an arena after a practice before a road game. There's a cute woman casually circling on a bicycle, and her kids are on their bikes with her. She slows down and starts talking to me about watching our practice through the window. She's cute, but I'm not flirting with some mom. It's another "airport convo" so I politely reply while briskly walking to the bus.

I get on the bus, and our assistant coach -- who's sister-in-law was playing for the USWNT at the time -- asked "what were you talking to Brandi about?"

"Brandi?" I was shocked. The assistant said "You're supposed to be a big USWNT fan!" And I'm like "You don't understand! I had her Sports Illustrated cover hanging on my wall in college! I STILL HAVE a huge crush on her! I just saw the kids and put my head down!"

One of my biggest crushes ever was trying to talk to me and I totally blew her off. Totally embarrassing.
Click to expand...
I won’t call her a crush. Just that, for some reason, she sat behind me at a Santa Clara game in 1992 when she started quite loudly urging on her Broncos.

I think she was already dating her former coach by then anyway. (Sorry for that record scratch. But she’s a livewire regardless.)

Speaking of old WCC players, there’s some fundraiser at a U Portland basketball game maybe a decade ago (or longer). Not everyone recognized Tiffeny Milbrett and Megan Rapinoe right away. Kev, at least you peformed a casual brush-off. I just go blank.
 
KevFu

KevFu

Registered User
May 22, 2009
9,189
3,422
Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans
PCSPounder said:
I won’t call her a crush. Just that, for some reason, she sat behind me at a Santa Clara game in 1992 when she started quite loudly urging on her Broncos.

I think she was already dating her former coach by then anyway. (Sorry for that record scratch. But she’s a livewire regardless.)

Speaking of old WCC players, there’s some fundraiser at a U Portland basketball game maybe a decade ago (or longer). Not everyone recognized Tiffeny Milbrett and Megan Rapinoe right away. Kev, at least you peformed a casual brush-off. I just go blank.
Click to expand...

I am kind of bad at recognizing famous people (even before I got old and stopped paying attention to who new celebs were). Partly because I am just bad at it, but partly because I don't have much reaction to seeing famous people. I don't actually CARE about seeing famous people.

Because I worked in sports, most famous people I've met are great athletes, and they have the same job as the people I worked with. My team's starters are better players than my teams reserves, but I treat them all equally as people regardless of the talent level. So I don't have a "OMG, it's ______ !" reaction.

I probably wouldn't have recognized Milbrett, but I would definitely recognize Rapinoe. But at the same time, if I WERE attending a U Portland athletics fundraising event, then I'd be a fan of UP athletics and probably know Milbrett went to UP, and therefore figure it out from context. Context is huge. It's far easier to realize "that's John Stockton" when you're standing in the media room for a Gonzaga basketball game.

It's when you're at a hotel elevator or sitting at an airport gate that the person who looks kinda familiar could be ANYBODY; then I probably won't have a clue that I'm near a famous person.

This is reminding me, that I've met a lot and have some other good stories.
 
LadyStanley

LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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Sin City
sports.yahoo.com

NWSL Hires Investment Bank Inner Circle to Lead Two-Team Expansion

The NWSL has retained investment bank Inner Circle Sports to lead its sale of two expansion teams, according to multiple people familiar with the plans. This marks the first time the women’s soccer league has formally launched a competitive expansion process. The 12-team NWSL is looking to add a...
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

NWSL hires investment bank Inner Circle to help with expansion
 

oknazevad

Registered User
Dec 12, 2018
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No mention in any of the stories as to where their home field will be. Perhaps they'll be renting from the Quakes, like the few other NWSL teams that rent from a local MLS team.
 
PCSPounder

PCSPounder

Stadium Groupie
Apr 12, 2012
2,876
574
The Outskirts of Nutria Nanny
oknazevad said:
No mention in any of the stories as to where their home field will be. Perhaps they'll be renting from the Quakes, like the few other NWSL teams that rent from a local MLS team.
Click to expand...
I would think this would be obvious. I wonder if, despite the heavy use that Kezar gets, that Bay might be thinking about it.

I also gave thought to what USL Oakland Roots wants to build by the current coliseum site… but that will be shared with the USL Super League entry.
 
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