The teams have taken to the field, unveiling the newest crop of women’s professional soccer here in the United States. The NWSL has decided to create a preseason lineup with their teams pitting themselves against women’s college soccer opponents. Some of the opponents include ACC powerhouses Maryland, Duke, UVA, and UNC, among other strong women’s collegiate programs like Portland, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.
For many of these teams, the rosters are full of players that have just finished their collegiate careers, and that is what makes this college showcase preseason so exciting to keep tabs on. The average age of the Washington Spirit for example, is 24 years of age. Most of these girls are one to two years removed from college, and this preseason was a chance for them to go back and match up against their old schools, and their old rivals. On April 3, the Spirit visited the University of Maryland, the former home of two of their players (Domenica Hodak and Skyy Anderson) and the former ACC rivalry grounds of 10 of the other players for the Spirit. Maryland came away with a 2-0 victory, but the teams played in front of a crowd of 1000, reminiscent of those ACC Championship days.
For the fans it has been exciting to get the chance to witness a lot of free soccer. The Sprit’s tour, “Free Spirit,” has included free admission to all of their preseason games, home and away. Attendance has reflected the excitement building for the NWSL season, with teams averaging about a 400-500 person attendance. For the coaches of both teams, it has been a great way to get an early test for their rosters as the NWSL teams head into season and the college teams prepare for their long and arduous offseason.
This has actually been an incredibly effective marketing strategy for the league, as they have now invited the fans of these college teams to become a part of the fan base for the professional teams. By giving them their first taste free, the fans now know what they can expect from this new league and its teams, and thus, has introduced a large crop of soccer fans into the mix of potential consumers.
Even more exciting, the season is beginning very soon, and this preseason lineup has helped to fuel the anticipation for the season opener which is less than 10 days away!
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