USL Super League Receives Division One Sanctioning from U.S. Soccerand Confirms Field of Teams for Inaugural Season

• Division One sanctioning represents major milestone in USL Super League’s commitment to operate at the highest level for women’s soccer in the United States.

• Brooklyn, N.Y., awarded franchise, completing field of teams to compete in 2024/25 inaugural season.

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2024) – The USL Super League is thrilled to confirm today that it will compete at the highest level for professional women’s soccer in the United States, following the U.S. Soccer Federation’s approval of its Division One sanctioning application.

This decision aligns with the league’s commitment to the highest operational standards in bringing professional women’s soccer closer to home for more players, more fans, and more communities across the United States.

“This is a tremendous moment for the USL Super League and for women’s sports,” said USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort. “Receiving Division One sanctioning further showcases the work that our ownership groups, our clubs, and the league are doing to create a professional environment for top-level talent to compete. This is a crucial step toward realizing our vision to be a global leader in women’s soccer on and off the field. We cannot wait to see our clubs take the field when we kick off in August 2024.”

“Congratulations to the USL Super League on receiving its sanctioning as a Division One professional women’s soccer league,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “The USL Super League is looking to grow the women’s game and to expand the opportunities for women to compete at the highest professional level. As with all our professional leagues, we look forward to collaborating with the USL Super League and extend our best wishes to the clubs as they gear up for the upcoming season this August.”

The USL Super League’s 2024/25 inaugural season will kick off in August with clubs in eight markets across the United States, including a newly announced team in Brooklyn, N.Y. The full field of teams for the inaugural season includes:

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Announced today, Super League Brooklyn brings professional women’s soccer to one of the world’s most influential cultural centers. The team is part of the Brooklyn Football Club, led by local businessman Matt Rizzetta, and will play their home matches at Maimonides Park in iconic Coney Island.

Carolina – Based in Charlotte, N.C., Super League Carolina will play its home matches in American Legion Memorial Stadium. The club has named Philip Poole, former goalkeeper coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team, as head coach.

Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas – Super League Dallas/Fort Worth is led by the Neil family, representing more than 40 years of real estate investment banking, current and former athletes, sports tech entrepreneurship, advertising, and decades spent in support of sports in North Texas.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Super League Fort Lauderdale is developing a stadium and on-site training facilities on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. The club has named former professional soccer player Tyrone Mears as head coach.

Lexington, Ky. – Super League Lexington has named former New Zealand national team player Michelle Rayner as women’s sporting director and Mike Dickey, who previously led the Jordanian Women’s National Team, as head coach. The club is building a new soccer-specific stadium and state-of-the-art training facilities for its youth and professional teams.

Spokane, Wash.: Spokane Zephyr FC – Spokane Zephyr FC is owned by Aequus Sports LLC, led by Ryan and Katie Harnetiaux. Katie Harnetiaux, former Amazon executive, also serves as Club President. The team will play at ONE Spokane Stadium, a new 5,500-capacity stadium located in the North Bank Arts and Entertainment District.

Tampa Bay, Fla.: Tampa Bay Sun FC – Tampa Bay Sun FC has named former FIFA referee and TV broadcast analyst Christina Unkel as Club President, and long-time collegiate coach Denise Schilte-Brown as Head Coach. The club will play its inaugural season at Blake Stadium, a waterfront venue near Tampa’s historic downtown district.

Washington, D.C. – Led by an ownership group inclusive of prominent community and business leaders from the DMV area in partnership with Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, the USL Super League club will add another exciting chapter to the region.

The strong pipeline of USL Super League clubs includes at least eight additional markets excited to join the league in future seasons: Chattanooga, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Madison, Wisc.; Oakland, Calif.; Palm Beach, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz., and Tucson, Ariz. These teams will take the field upon completion of stadium projects and other important club development initiatives.

The USL Super League will play on the international calendar and operate a connected women’s pathway from youth to professional. The “fall-to-summer" calendar – unique in American soccer – aligns the USL Super League with the global game and prioritizes player welfare and performance. The youth-to-pro pathway creates development and advancement opportunities for players, coaches, referees, and front office employees while uniting communities and growing the sport at all levels across the United States.

National partnerships, competition format and additional information about the USL Super League’s inaugural season will be announced in the coming weeks.

Stay up to date on the USL Super League at USLSuperLeague.com and follow the league on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Facebook.

For media inquiries, please email USL Super League Communications Manager Lisa Padan, lisa.padan@uslsoccer.com.

What Women’s Soccer Means to Madison: A Conversation with April Kigeya

Women’s soccer has been a catalyst for growth in women's athletics and empowerment. It’s undeniable that interest in the sport has evolved in America. Remember when the USWNT played England at Wembley Stadium and nearly 78,000 tickets were sold within 24 hours? At the club level, the National Women’s Soccer League saw an 80% increase in attendance and a 125% growth in ticket revenue in 2022. It’s an area of interest that Clubs across the world have kept a close eye on. Close to home, that means USL League One club, Forward Madison FC.

Forward Madison FC was established in 2019 and within its first few years, the Club reached out to supporters to inquire about a women’s professional soccer team in Madison, Wisconsin. We caught up with April Kigeya, one of the members of Forward Madison’s Independent Supporters Association, The Flock, who was involved in the early process. 

Kigeya has been a supporter of Forward Madison FC since its inaugural season. She has been instrumental in creating a diverse and inclusive fanbase for the soccer club, but recently, has worked with FMFC owners to bring professional women’s soccer to the community of Madison, Wisconsin. That conversation started with what level the women’s team should play at. The answer: professional. 

“We thought it was really important that not only from a pay equity standpoint but from just the league standpoint that the women either be at the same level or higher, not lower [than Forward Madison FC],” Kigeya said.

In May of 2023, the United Soccer League (USL) announced its plans to launch a Division I women’s professional soccer league called USL Super League. Madison was quick to put in its bid to be a part of the league, accomplishing Kigeya and the supporters’ request. 

“I just think it's going to set a great example for girls in our community,” Kigeya said about the impact of the announcement. “The younger generations are coming up, seeing that they can play professional soccer, that it’s not just for men. It's going to create such a pipeline in our community for the women's team.” 

While there’s still work to be done before a women’s team can become official in Madison, Kigeya is hopeful that the community will be able to watch women’s soccer in the coming years. 

“I hope that we sell out every game and that it's just one of those things that is a staple in the community. I hope it becomes a regular part of Madison.”

Meet the Payne’s: A World Soccer Family

Forward Madison FC defender Stephen Payne talks about his sister’s debut in the 2023 World Cup

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is around the corner, and one of the first countries to kick off the tournament is Nigeria. After securing their spot in the World Cup during the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria will face Canada, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland in Group G. 

One player on the Nigerian squad to keep an eye on is midfielder, Toni Payne. Toni is an American-born Nigerian professional soccer player, currently playing for the club Sevilla FC Femenino. She is the oldest sibling in the Payne family, which includes Nicole Payne, a recent graduate from USC and player for PSG, and Stephen Payne, a defender for Forward Madison FC. 

“Me and Toni… and Nicole grew up by training with my dad and playing together,” says Stephen Payne, as he talked about what it was like growing up with siblings in women’s soccer. “[Toni] always pushed me and I pushed her on and off the field. We want to push each other to just excel as much as possible… I'm just super proud of her and Nicole.”

Due to birth and descent, Toni is eligible to play for both the United States and Nigeria. In 2012, she played for the US Under-17 team that won the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship. From 2013-2018, she made appearances with the US U-20 and U-23 teams, but in 2019, Toni declared that she would begin her international career with Nigeria. This will be her first World Cup debut. 

“I'm just proud of her and all the hard work she's put in. It's every kid's dream to play soccer [and] to go to a World Cup,” says Stephen Payne. “I'm glad that she's able to accomplish that and I’m just hoping for the best. I hope that she puts on a good performance for herself and just has fun, enjoying the moment.”

Stephen has always been a fan of women’s soccer and watching his sisters impact the game on the field. While he’ll be rooting for Nigeria during the World Cup, he’s also rooting for more opportunities for women’s soccer here in America.

“I'm just super proud of [my sisters] and what they've accomplished and how they've gone so far. And now it's just [continuing to support] them and supporting the women's game and how it's growing. I’m happy to see that the USL’s women’s soccer leagues [are] growing as well and it's just going to continue to get bigger over time,” he said. “I love watching my sisters play and women's soccer in general…it's good to see that it's growing and now you just want to see it stabilize in order to create more opportunities to play.” 

Head over to the Forward Club at Breese Stevens Field on Thursday, July 20th at 9:30pm to watch Toni Payne and Nigeria face off against Canada in the Women’s World Cup.

Women’s Professional Soccer is Coming to Madison