SAN FRANCISCO, CA (09/04/07) – A new North American women's professional soccer league - under the temporary working title of Women's Soccer LLC - has been formally established in the United States by seven investor groups, with play beginning in the spring of 2009. Initial teams will be based in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis and Washington D.C. Though funding could have allowed for a 2008 start date, team owners finalized the 2009 launch date based on a number of factors, including the 2007 FIFA World Cup and 2008 Olympic Games.

The announcement of a new league comes prior to the start of the FIFA Women's World Cup being held in China this Sept. 10-30. The U.S. Women's National Team, ranked No. 1 in the world and led by U.S. legends such as Abby Wambach and Kristine Lilly, left for China on Monday, August 27, following a send-off ceremony and 4-0 victory in a friendly match vs. Finland at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on Saturday, August 25.

Also that Saturday, Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm - both former stars of the U.S. Women's National Team, two-time Olympic gold medalists and two-time FIFA World Cup champions - were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Former USWNT head coach Tony DiCicco and his SoccerPlus CT side took part as well, as Foudy suited up for her former coach in the Hall of Fame Game that followed the induction festivities. This marked the first time in the history of the Hall that female athletes were the sole inductees in the Player Category.

"Careful consideration was taken in timing the launch of the league, as team owners are being judicious to ensure that this league is sustainable and successful in the long run," said Tonya Antonucci, the newly-named league commissioner. "It's a simple matter of preparation and operational readiness. Also, we fully expect that the FIFA 2007 Women's World Cup - which will be broadcast on ESPN - as well as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing - broadcast on NBC and its family of networks - will provide excellent exposure for our players and sport as we build momentum toward opening day."

"We would very much have liked to start playing games in 2008 and in fact several teams were able and ready to do so," added Michael Stoller, managing partner for Boston Women's Soccer, LLC, the ownership group overseeing the women's professional soccer team in Boston - the Boston Breakers. "However, as a league we are very focused on how we fit into the overall sports landscape and two overwhelming factors contributed to the decision to start playing in 2009. The first was being sure that we have longevity in our league and we overwhelmingly believe that starting in 2009 will assure the long term success of each and every team.

"And most importantly our sport has two critical events during 2007 and 2008, namely the FIFA World Cup starting in several weeks and the Olympics next summer. We did not want to impact the various national teams between these two events and we did not want our league to take the focus away from these two great events for our players or our fans."

The seven ownership groups are comprised of the following: AEG L.A. Women's Soccer, LLC; Boston Women's Soccer, LLC; Chicago Professional Women's Soccer, LLC; Hendricks Investment Holdings, LLC (Washington D.C.); St. Louis United Soccer, LLC; Sky Blue Women's Soccer, Inc. (New Jersey/New York); and Sting Soccer Group LP (Dallas).

League operations will focus on cost-containment and shared infrastructure efficiencies, as guided by a conservative business model developed by not-for-profit Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc. (WSII) officials under the legal counsel of global law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP. The league will implement a comprehensive 18-month marketing and branding campaign leading up to the 2009 launch date.

The league has also entered into an agreement with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial affiliate of Major League Soccer, to serve as the league's exclusive representative for the sale of national corporate sponsorship and consumer product licenses. Several of the teams will play in MLS' new, soccer-specific stadiums. Team owners also look forward to continuing their relationships with the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL).

"We look forward to working with the Women's Soccer Initiative to build a true grassroots program and to help promote and support the sport of women's soccer," said New England Mutiny owner and WPSL Associate Commissioner Joe Ferrara.

"The WPSL is pleased to support the new women's professional league, as we supported the old WUSA," said California Storm owner and WPSL Commissioner Jerry Zanelli. "Tonya brings exceptional leadership and dedication to the new organization."

Zanelli should know, as Antonucci played in the WPSL with the Storm and later operated a WPSL team out of Palo Alto, CA. More connections abound as Jeff Cooper, owner of the WPSL's River Cities F.C. team that made it to the National Final in 2006 (pictured above), will be the lead investor in St. Louis.

Antonucci, after two and a half years as CEO of WSII, will transition to the role of league commissioner. Antonucci brings over a decade of sports business experience to the effort, having spent more than seven years with Yahoo, Inc., where she served as the director of Yahoo! Sports and subsequently as general manager of Yahoo's partnership with FIFA and the commercialization of the official, global web sites for the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cups. Antonucci played soccer at Stanford University and, following her college soccer career, spent years as assistant coach at both Stanford and Santa Clara University.

According to the U.S. Soccer Federation, soccer continues to experience unprecedented growth in the United States - particularly among America's youth, with more than 3.2 million players registered with the U.S. Youth Soccer Association and 4.5 million adults involved with the organization as parents, coaches, referees, and administrators. In addition, up to 250,000 U.S. adults play soccer at the amateur level. Meanwhile, MLS teams are seeing consistent increases in attendance and looking for ways to cater to their ever-expanding fan base, including the construction of more soccer-specific stadiums.

"The start of a women's professional league in 2009 is further evidence of soccer's continued growth and potential in the United States," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "We believe this will be the world's top league and destination for elite women's professional soccer players. Major League Soccer will make available resources, assets and facilities to the new women's league, helping to ensure a strong start in 2009 with stability and opportunity well into the future."

"I am thrilled and elated that a professional league will be coming back in 2009," said Abby Wambach, current star of the U.S. Women's National Team. "I know from my path to the national team, a league was the most important component to getting me completely prepared to play at the next level. What this means is that more women will have more opportunity to not only play at the next level, but also fulfill life long dreams of being a professional athlete. This is what may be most important; to make dreams come true, and today, I feel like many women's dreams are coming true."

In 2001, shortly after the U.S. brought home the championship at the 1999 Women's World Cup, women's professional soccer experienced relative success via the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), which suspended operations in 2003. The new league, while honoring the WUSA's great playing talent and devoted fan base, will embrace die-hard WUSA fans side-by-side with new soccer audiences and mainstream sports fans who respect the best of the best competing in sport on American soil.

"Much has changed since the WUSA took to the field in 2001," said Antonucci. "Most notably, there has been rapid growth in the number of people in America who play soccer and consider themselves soccer fans, thanks in large part to the collegiate opportunities afforded by Title IX and the growing success of the U.S. Men's National Team and MLS. Soccer's popularity has exploded in this country and a women's league is a logical byproduct of the sport's ever-expanding fan base and following.

"We also now have a range of digital and online capabilities that allow us to put women's soccer front-and-center among fans and sponsors. But ultimately, it all comes back to the fact that our league will boast the world's greatest athletes playing the world's greatest game. At the same time, we'd be remiss in not examining the operations of the WUSA and learning from their experiences, particularly in the realm of operational efficiencies. The new league is taking every step to ensure that this league is a permanent fixture on the nation's professional sports landscape. We are not expecting overnight success, but are committed to long-term growth and profitability."

For more information on WSLLC, contact Jennifer Peters of Fleishman-Hillard Sports Business by phone at 314-982-9167 (office) or by e-mail at jennifer.peters@fleishman.com.

The WPSL is a 38-team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is the highest level of women's soccer in the United States while also holding the distinction of being one of the top leagues in the world. The mission is to provide the highest level of women's soccer while simultaneously providing affordable, quality family entertainment and positive role models for our youth. For more information on the WPSL, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info or email us at media@wpsl.info.