Cleveland has apparently lost out to Denver in landing the 16th expansion franchise of the National Women’s Soccer League. But local backers of the effort to land an expansion franchise said they haven’t given up hope (CSG). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Denver chosen, offers huge franchise fee
Denver appears to have outbid its nearest rivals, including Cleveland and Cincinnati, for the 16th expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). A Denver-based ownership group is reported to be exclusively negotiating a $105 million to $120 million fee to land the team — or roughly double the previous record high expansion fee of $53 million paid last year by a Boston group.
Not only would it be the highest expansion fee ever for the growing soccer league, but it’s the biggest expansion fee ever paid in U.S. women’s sports, noted an article in Sportico that broke the news of Denver’s apparent winning bid. The NWSL franchise fee has risen from just $2 million to $5 million in 2020.
“Nothing is finalized, and it could still take weeks, or months, to hammer out a signed agreement” wrote Sportico, citing anonymous sources.
Cleveland Pro Soccer, an affiliate of the Cleveland Soccer Group (CSG) which led the campaign for a 16th NWSL expansion team, confirmed that Cleveland lost out to Denver via social media. However, it urged its thousands of supporters not to give up hope.
“It’s not over, Cleveland,” the group wrote. “We won’t be the 16th team in the NWSL. But we’re exploring all paths to make women’s pro soccer in Northeast Ohio a reality, a success, our future. Nearly 16,000 season ticket pledges can’t be wrong. Thank you so much for your continued support. Stay in it, stay tuned.”
Conceptual site plan for a soccer stadium to be built south of the Inner Belt Highway (Interstate 90) at the south edge of Downtown Cleveland, near where the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers play home games (Cleveland Metroparks).
A Cleveland Pro Soccer spokesperson told NEOtrans that they are looking ahead to secure a 17th or 18th franchise, whenever it will be announced by NWSL. However, the spokesperson did not have a timeline of when that could happen.
An NWSL spokesperson declined to comment on the selection of an expansion team. NWSL teams boast growing attendance which now averages nearly 11,500 per game, or just shy of 150,000 fans among 13 home games total per team.
There is a separate but potentially affiliated effort to land a soccer training institute at the now-closed Notre Dame College campus in the eastern Cleveland suburb of South Euclid. That is reported to still be an active effort that would go on without Cleveland winning the 16th NWSL franchise but would have certainly been bolstered by it.
There are rumors that an unidentified buyer has a purchase agreement that is due to close soon to acquire the entire 48-acre Notre Dame campus and all of its 14 buildings. It is listed for sale at $30.7 million. But the Cleveland Pro Soccer spokesperson said there was no update to share on the acquisition.
Two months ago, CSG was the only suitor that had submitted a purchase offer on the campus, said Mike Love, economic development director for the city of South Euclid. But in an interview with NEOtrans last week, city officials said they had no further information on the campus’ acquisition.
A 12,500-seat soccer stadium is proposed next to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s rapid transit rail lines. And the transit agency offered to work with the soccer stadium backers in planning and possibly building a train station there (CSG).
Cuyahoga County and State of Ohio were asked to help fund a proposed 12,500-seat soccer stadium in Downtown Cleveland, across Interstate 90 from Progressive Field, home of the Major League Baseball Cleveland Guardians. CSG requested $90 million in public-sector financing to help support construction of the $150 million stadium.
“I don’t think it’s a question of if, it’s a matter of when,” said a supportive Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne when asked recently about the prospect of landing the NWSL franchise.
In September, the Cleveland Metroparks reached a purchase agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to acquire 13.6 acres of ODOT land for $4.25 million. The site, next to I-90, would be for the soccer stadium and the Metroparks’ Trailhead Project, a public space where several all-purpose trails would link up.
There is significant private-sector financial backing behind Cleveland’s NWSL bid. Fifteen Northeast Ohio women investors joined the effort in August along with undisclosed, well-heeled private equity support.
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