Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

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NWSL National Women's Soccer League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
July 22, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)


BASEBALL

Atlantic League: The Gastonia (NC) Baseball Club of the independent Atlantic League announced the Gastonia Yarniaks will be the team's name for the "What If #7" homestand this summer (August 30 to September 1) as the team tests fan reaction to the seventh of eight potential names and works toward selecting a permanent name for the 2025 season. The Yarniaks name comes from the city's past history in the textile manufacturing industry. The previously announced "What If Night" names included the Gastronauts, Bolognia, Galactic Dinos, Ghost Peppers, Zombees and Garden Gnomes.

Frontier League: As the independent Frontier League held its 2024 All-Star Game in Quebec City this week, the league commissioner stated his top goal is to bring a Frontier League team to Montreal as a rival for the league's Quebec Capitals (Quebec City). Construction and financing of a new ballpark for the Montreal team would be needed for a team to move forward.

California League: The Visalia Rawhide of the Low-A California League hosted its Oaks Throwback Weekend (July 19-July 21) and played as the Visalia Oaks in a tribute to the team's previous name that was changed to the Visalia Rawhide for the 2009 season.

Southern Collegiate League: The Carolina Disco Turkeys (Winston-Salem, NC) of the summer-collegiate SCL played their Wednesday (hump day) home games this season as the Camel City Humps. Winston-Salem is known as Camel City, home of the producer of Camel cigarettes.

BASKETBALL

American Basketball Association: The men's semi-pro ABA announced teams called the D.C Crank (Washington, DC area) and Kern County (CA) Mambas (Bakersfield/Central California) have been added as 2024-25 expansion teams.

New Vision Women's Basketball Circuit: A new women's basketball league known as the New Vision Women's Basketball Circuit (NWBC) is organizing for a start this year. The NWBC currently lists teams called the Cincinnati Brown Bears, Fort Wayne 3 Rivers, Gary Ignite, Chicago Hurricanes, Milwaukee Owls and the Indianapolis Royals. The Indianapolis Royals recently left the Independent Professional Women's Basketball League early in that league's 2024 season.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football League: The third version of the AFL, which held its 2024 season championship game this weekend, completed its inaugural season with only 8 active teams of the original 16 teams announced at the start of the 2024 season. The remaining teams included the Albany (NY) Firebirds, Billings (MT) Outlaws, Nashville Kats, Orlando Predators, Salina (KS) Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm (Dodge City), Washington Wolfpack (Everett, WA) and the Wichita Regulators. Teams called the Georgia Force (Atlanta area), Iowa Rampage (Council Bluffs), Louisiana Voodoo (Lafayette), Minnesota Myth (Minneapolis), Philadelphia Soul, Rapid City (SD) Marshals, Oregon Blackbears (Salem) and West Texas Desert Hawks (Odessa) either folded or became inactive over the course of the 2024 season.

The Arena League: The four-team six-on-six TAL's 2025 expansion team to be based in Eau Claire (WI) announced the team will be called the Eau Claire Jammers when it starts play in the 2025 season. The TAL will also add a yet-to-be-named team in Hot Springs (AR) and grow to six teams for the 2025 season.

HOCKEY

Eastern Hockey League: Shortly after the 2024-25 season schedules were announced last month for the Tier-III junior-level EHL and its developmental EHL Premier (EHL-P) league, the EHL's Boston Jr. Rangers, Railers Junior Hockey Club (Worcester, MA) and Seacoast Spartans (Exeter, NH) left to move up to the United States Premier Hockey League's Tier-II junior-level National Collegiate Development Conference for the 2024-25 season. The EHL operated with 23 teams last season but is down to 21 teams with the loss of the three teams and the addition of the Boston Eagles. EHL teams will be aligned in a six-team East Division and five-team North, South and Central divisions. Also, the EHL just announced the Connecticut Chiefs (Newington) team has been sold and will operate as the Connecticut Nor'Easter (Simsbury) in the EHL and the EHL-P. Other EHL changes for 2024-25 include the Providence Hockey Club changing to the Providence Capitals, while the EHL's Team Maryland (Odenton) was sold and moved to Tewksbury (MA) as the Boston Dukes. The EHL-P remains at 16 teams after losing the Boston Rangers and Railers Hockey Club teams and adding the New Jersey Bears and a Providence Capitals team. The EHL-P teams are aligned in a six-team South Division and five-team North and East divisions.

National Collegiate Development Conference: The United States Premier Hockey League's Tier-II junior-level NCDC announced its 2024-25 season schedule that will feature 21 teams aligned in a seven-team Atlantic Division, a six-team Mountain Division and an eight-team New England Division. The NCDC had 18 teams last season but added three teams called the Boston Jr. Rangers, Railers Junior Hockey Club (Worcester, MA) and Seacoast Spartans (Exeter, NH) from the Tier-III Eastern Hockey League. Also, the Boston Jr. Bruins were sold to become the West Chester (PA) Wolves, the Provo (UT) Predators were sold to become the Casper (WY) Warbirds, and the Twin City Thunder (Lewiston/Auburn, ME) was relocated to Exeter (NH) as the Thunder Hockey Club. The Mountain Division teams will play 53 games and teams in the other two divisions will play 54 games from September 19, 2024, through March 23, 2025.

SPHL: Teams in the minor professional SPHL, formerly the Southern Professional Hockey League, have posted their 2024-25 season schedules that will feature the same ten teams as last season and again aligned in a single-table format. Each team will play 56 games from October 19, 2024, through April 5, 2025.

Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League: The QJAAAHL (Ligue de Hockey Junior AAA du Quebec), which is one of nine Junior-A leagues under the Canadian Junior Hockey League, has posted its 2024-25 season schedule that will feature the same 13 teams as last season and again aligned in a single-table format. Each team will play a 48-game schedule from September 6, 2024, through March 7, 2025.

SOCCER

Major League Indoor Soccer: The MLIS announced the Rockford FC, which operates an outdoor team in the amateur Midwest Premier League, will operate a new men's indoor team called the Rockford FC in the 2024-25 season of the MLIS. The MLIS had a previous Rockford (IL) team called the Illinois State Line Falcons in the 2022-23 season. The MLIS is also adding a new women's league for 2024-25.

National Women's Soccer League: The Division-I professional NWSL started play this week in the inaugural in-season tournament called the "NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup", which will feature all 14 NWSL teams competing with the 6 top 2023 teams from Mexico's professional 18-team women's league called Liga MX Femenil. The teams are aligned in five four-team groups for group-play (July 19-August 2), followed by a semi-final round (week of August 4) and a championship round (October 25-27).

The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved plans this week for a $100 million expansion and renovation of the city's White Stadium that is to become home to the NWSL's 2026 expansion team operated by the Boston Unity Soccer Partners. The project still needs some other permits and approvals before proposed work can start this fall and it is also facing a lawsuit from concerned community members.

Women's Independent Soccer League: The proposed Division-II professional WISL, which is associated with the men's Division-III professional National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), has not gotten off the ground as planned for this year. The WISL was first announced in 2021 for a start in 2022 but that was pushed back to 2024. In April 2021, the league announced the Los Angeles Force, which has a current men's team in the NISA, as its first team with no other teams yet to be announced. The WISL has applied for Division-II professional status with the United States Soccer Federation and that would require the league to start with six teams and have at least eight teams by the third season. The WISL is facing competition from other proposed women's leagues like the proposed Division-III Women's Premier Soccer League's WPSL Pro league and the Division-I professional USL Super League that starts next month.

OTHER

Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse: The women's Athletes Unlimited started the fourth season of its professional field lacrosse league this week and it again features four teams playing a four-week season through August 11. All games will be played at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks Glencoe (MD) just north of Baltimore. Similar to the Athletes Unlimited women's softball, basketball and volleyball pro leagues, the lacrosse players earn individual points during games and the top four players from each week will serve as captains and draft the four teams for the next week.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in the sports world's leagues, teams, and nicknames since April 2007.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 22, 2024


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