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As the NWSL is in the midst of its 10th season, a group of former players has emerged with a goal of taking the league to new heights. Or, at least, adding a new team into the mix.
Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner are heading a Bay Area expansion group, with an aim of leveraging their extensive playing experiences toward shaping the future of the league.
“We are very quickly realizing that athletes’ voices aren’t just nice to have, it’s essential for success,” Slaton said, per Meg Linehan of The Athletic. “Everyone knows this is a critical piece, not only for the health of an organization, but for it to thrive.”
The group’s efforts come following a failed attempt in 2019 at adopting the California Storm of the WPSL into the NWSL. The team, located in Sacramento, eventually became the expansion team in San Diego, and is now known as San Diego Wave FC.
Following the creation of Angel City FC in Los Angeles, which debuted this year, the current Bay Area group took notice.
“It was a proof of concept, right?” Slaton said. “I really think we can be one of the next steps that proves to people that this isn’t just a unicorn, that this is a real, true sustainable change that we will see in the long term. All credit to Angel City and what they’ve accomplished, but that needs to be a standard around the league. I really think it can be.”
The group has been working two years on this venture, yet still feels as if they are “learning the process.” Still, the target date of 2024, and the former players plan to lean on their playing experience to navigate that process toward the finish line.
“It’s a player’s game. You don’t have timeouts, you just roll the ball out for 45 minutes and solve the problem,” Slaton said. “That’s what we’ve done our whole lives, that’s what we’ve trained to do. There’s no reason we can’t do it in boardrooms and executive rooms, and in the leadership of this league.”
