Arthur M. Blank (above), owner of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons, is now the owner of Atlanta’s NWSL club. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta has been awarded the 17th National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise. The expansion was announced at an event on Tuesday evening featuring a night of entertainment, live performances, popcorn, hot cocoa, and empowering moments for female athletes of all ages who have led, competed, and inspired through sport. Presented by Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment, the celebration was a testament that when you “empower her,” you “Inspire all.”
Arthur M. Blank, owner of Atlanta United, the Atlanta Falcons, and now Atlanta’s NWSL club, said that he’s learned from the women in his life that true greatness comes from using your achievements to help others rise along the way.
“As we launch this new club, I’m deeply inspired by the opportunity to give young girls across Georgia, including my own granddaughters, the chance to see what’s possible by watching these world-class athletes right here in Atlanta, Georgia, our home,” Blank said. “It’s my hope that this club will ignite something powerful in everyone who watches, especially young people, and light a spark that says, ‘if they can do it, so can I.’ This is not just about seeing the athletes on the pitch. It’s about recognizing the dedication, the resilience, and the teamwork it takes to get there.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (above) was one of the special guests on hand for the celebration of the newly announced club. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Other featured speakers at the celebration included basketball analyst and ESPN reporter Andraya Carter, former Soccer in the Streets player Lauren Dubois, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and United States Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone.
“I will now get to watch female athletes chase their dreams on the pitch right here in the ATL. So somewhere in Atlanta, right now, could be the world’s next great soccer star who will come of age knowing she can train here, play here, and win right here in Atlanta,” Dickens said.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
The announcement comes at a time when all eyes are on the city as it prepares to host eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including a semifinal match. The continued investment in soccer, from Atlanta United FC to the incoming high-performance Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, shows that the sport and what it means to people is deeply appreciated. And with the boom of women’s sports from media coverage to financial investment, the club is another step forward in the success of the game.
Women’s sports are redefining what’s possible in the athletics business and culture,” ESPN reporter Andraya Carter (above) said. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“I’ve been so lucky to have the best seats in the house to some of the most exciting women’s sports events, and it has been absolutely electrifying across the country. Women’s sports are redefining what’s possible in the athletics business and culture,” Carter said.
When the new team takes the pitch in 2028, Blank said the club will represent the next generation of leaders, change makers, and athletes, and that the spirit of its supporters will build a club that stands for “excellence and greatness.”
“Our NWSL players will be role models who embody excellence, determination, and the unshakable belief that anything is possible,” Blank said.
LYON, FRANCE – JULY 07: Tobin Heath of the USA celebrates with the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy in … [+] the dressing room following her team’s victory in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France Final match between The United States of America and The Netherlands at Stade de Lyon on July 07, 2019 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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An arbitrator ruled in favor of the National Women’s Soccer League Player Association on Monday that 22 Players with 6 or more NWSL service years and contracts that expire on December 31 were, in fact, eligible for free agency dating back to the start of the league’s free agency window on August 26.
The dispute centered not over free agency itself, but whether players with six years of service, but whose current teams also held a player option, would be eligible for free agency. The arbitrator ruled that they are.
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The resulting offseason ahead will get significantly wilder, with everyone from Tobin Heath to Debinha to Christine Sinclair now free to pursue their own teams. But as the PA made clear in its statement following this victory, the very fact that there was such a process in place was a significant victory for the players as well.
“The grievance and arbitration procedure that is contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement is, itself, a win for collective bargaining,” the PA said in its statement. “Through this process, the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association agree to submit issues where we cannot reach agreement to a jointly selected, impartial arbitrator. The grievance and arbitration procedure is a fair, collectively bargained mechanism that provides finality and instills confidence in the outcome.”
Another key takeaway from this decision is the tone utilized by NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. Far from an adversary, she sounded like a partner when speaking on the decision Monday afternoon.
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““I am proud of the manner in which the parties used the arbitration procedure,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “This was an honest and respectful disagreement, and we utilized the dispute resolution mechanism in our collective bargaining agreement which is fair and impartial. Thanks to our labor agreement all parties can make their case to an independent and neutral third-party and respect the decision.”
The players affected are: Lauren Barnes, Katie Bowen, Danielle Colaprico, Jaelene Daniels, Debinha, Vanessa DiBernardo Makenzy Doniak, Morgan Gautrat, Tobin Heath, Rachel Hill, Kaitlyn Johnson, Estelle Johnson, Domi Richardson, Katelyn Rowland, Sophie Schmidt, Christine Sinclair, Meredith Speck, Jasmyne Spencer, Nicole Stanton, Jodie Taylor, Arin Wright and McCall Zerboni.
If that promises a fun offseason ahead, it’s only the beginning in NWSL — come August 2023, every player with at least five years of service can elect free agency, while those with three years of service can choose restricted free agency — that is, they can sign elsewhere, but their current team can match that offer and keep them.
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Players can re-sign with their own teams this fall. Beginning November 15, they can sign with new teams.
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 09: NHL Vice President of Special Projects and Corporate Social … [+] Responsibility and panel member Jessica Berman on stage during the Beyond Sport United 2016 at Barclays Center on August 9, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY– Jessica Berman has wanted to be a sports commissioner since her teen years growing up in Brooklyn, NY. Her passion took her to the University of Michigan, where she studied Sports Management, and then back to New York for her Juris doctorate at Fordham Law School.
Where did this dream come from?
“My children have asked me that question, especially in the last six months when I haven’t been home,” Berman said at the Sports Business Journal World Congress of Sports Tuesday morning.
Berman admitted she often asked herself that question. It’s not hard to imagine that times like these – days removed from the preliminary findings of the Sally Q. Yates independent investigation concerning allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer – are particularly hard for the newest commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
HARRISON, NJ – OCTOBER 31: A banner that says Protect Our Players hangs in the stands before the … [+] match between NJ/NY Gotham City FC and Racing Louisville FC at Red Bull Arena on October 31, 2021 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)
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To state what should be obvious, it has been an even more difficult time for the players, whether they be named or unnamed in the report. The Yates reports is a third-party report commissioned by the United States Soccer Federation. In addition, the NWSL has commissioned its own report in partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association.
“I think the most important takeaway for us and for me is that we are taking all of our cues directly from the players,” Berman said of the league investigation.
“Our partnership with the union and our joint investigation that is still ongoing is unique from the Yates report in two significant ways. The first being that we are doing it jointly with our player association from October when the news broke in The Athletic and the NWSL essentially came to its knees to figure out how we get to the place of unlocking the potential of this league,” she added.
The NWSL and NWSLPA began their investigation in October 2021 with counsel from Covington & Burling LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. They comprise what is known as the NWSL/NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team. Berman was not in her role as NWSL Commissioner during this time and has inherited the process of moving forward for the better while cutting ties post-haste.
The league announced Tuesday that, as a result of an investigation into allegations of verbal abuse and improper favoritism, the immediate termination of the contracts of Orlando Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell and First Assistant Coach Sam Greene.
Orlando Pride head coach Amanda Cromwell, left, and first assistant coach Sam Greene watch players … [+] warm up before an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer match against the Washington Spirit, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Berman also noted the Yates report provided the NWSL/NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team with “information that had previously not been available” as part of their reporting. Initially, the NWSL expected a report at the end of the year. While Commissioner Berman hopes to stick to that timeline, the NWSL will not interfere with nor rush the process.
“We will let them do their jobs and stay outta their way. We do hope, understanding the practical realities of the importance of getting this report done, that we stay within that timeline, and that’s my expectation currently,” Berman said Tuesday.
Under Berman, the NWSL is leading its investigation with truth. In fact, truth and transparency is one of the three values that drive the Joint Investigative Team.
“We need to make sure that we hold ourselves accountable to the three goals that we set out from the beginning when this was commissioned a year ago, which are to seek the truth, to have corrective action that is meaningfu,l and to institute systemic reform. Those three things are in a particular order, and its intentional. You have to start with the truth and in order for people to heal and trust this league, we really need to start with the truth,” Berman said.
Given the rampant history of abuse in women’s soccer at all levels, Berman will have continue to show that things are different, rather than to tell. The NWSL is not the only league in need of reform.
Allegations of Abuse in the NHL
Berman was one of several sports commissioners to speak at the Sports Business Journal World Congress of Sports, including NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. From my observations yesterday, she was the most forthcoming with the more difficult sports business matters in her sector.
For example, despite the Tampa Bay Lightning recently suspended Ian Cole after allegations from an anonymous report accused Cole of grooming and sexual abuse, nobody from the conference mentioned the allegations. For context, the NWSL allegations were mentioned multiple times ahead of Berman’s appearance.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole (28) before an NHL preseason hockey game against the Florida … [+] Panthers Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
After attending the World Congress of Sports yesterday in New York, Bettman attended the home opener for the Los Angeles Kings yesterday. Los Angeles Times sports columnist Helene Elliott asked Bettman about the Cole investigation.
“We’re investigating that as well. We’re trying to get to the source of the tweet and we are investigating. Obviously the allegations on twitter are disturbing but I think we need to take the appropriate time to understand exactly what happened,” Bettman said according to Elloitt’s tweets.
The NHLPA released the findings of their independent report on April 15. The NHLPA retained Cozen O’Conner for their investigation. The report stated, “Ultimately, the failure to act on Beach’s reports stems from a failure of communication … Beach’s warnings about Aldrich were not addressed on account of miscommunication and misunderstanding, rather than any individual or systemic failure.”
The report included recommendations, but the NHPLA didn’t release them because “they require further development,” per a statement released on April 15.
