Hearts Announce Women's Team Town Halls
USL1 Portland Hearts of Pine

Hearts Announce Women's Team Town Halls

Published on February 4, 2026 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release


Portland Hearts of Pine are thrilled to announce a series of community town halls focused on establishing a USL W League women's team. These town halls mark the first step in bringing a pre-professional women's team to Portland, with community input guiding the path forward.

"Building a women's team has been part of the vision from the very beginning. We said from the very start that this would be a soccer club for all of Maine, and we meant it," said Hannah Sirois, Hearts of Pine's VP of Fan Experience and the club's first ever staff member.

The town halls will start in March, gathering input from fans, businesses, and grassroots soccer leaders from across the state to help shape the future women's team both on and off the pitch.

"The best clubs are reflections of their community, and for the soccer club of Maine to realize its full potential, it's critical to include our community in this process," said Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, Hearts of Pine's Founder and Chief Community Officer. "The foundational identity of Hearts was built by Mainers, and a women's team has been a part of that vision from day one. Now that we're here, we're bringing that same level of care and intentionality to the development of the women's team."

"These town halls are our way of showing up, listening, and learning from the community, just as we did with the men's team," said Sirois. "As a Mainer and a mother, I'm so excited to see how the city of Portland and the entire state of Maine rally in support of a team that truly reflects and showcases the strength of women in Maine. Let's build something we're proud to call our own, and let's do it together."

The first town hall will take place on March 7th at Allagash Brewing and will focus on gathering input from fans and supporters. Attendees are encouraged to stick around after the town hall and watch the U.S. take on Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup. The second town hall will take place at Aprés on March 12 and will seek input from business, non-profit and community leaders. The final session will be hosted at Portland Soccer Complex on March 22, welcoming input from the grassroots and youth soccer communities.

Community members can RSVP for the town halls here.The town hall series announcement poster was designed by Portland-based artist and illustrator Alexa LaPlante. This is notably her first commissioned work since giving birth to her daughter late last year.

What is the USL W League?

The USL W League is a pre-professional league aimed at developing the next generation of talent in women's soccer. Learn more about the USL W League here.

For more updates on USL W to Portland, visit the club's website and follow the club on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Threads.

Check out the Portland Hearts of Pine Statistics

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United Soccer League One Stories from February 4, 2026


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