The U.S. Soccer Federation is launching a new domestic club soccer tournament, involving at least the National Women’s Soccer League and the Gainbridge Super League at the start.
The Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup will be a single elimination tournament that has a $1.5 million in prize money — the biggest prize pool for a women’s domestic competition in the United States.
The one catch: There’s no launch date for the start of the tournament. There are details still to be worked out, including negotiations with the leagues, attracting sponsors and broadcast partners.
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Back in September, The IX Sports’ Catalina Bush wrote a piece calling for a women’s club competition back in September.
The idea is similar to the men’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which includes amateur and semi-pro teams, in addition to Major League Soccer and top-tier USL teams.
U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone spoke to a small group of reporters about the tournament last week.
“We’re working very closely with both the NWSL and the Gainbridge Super League to figure out what is the optimal time to do this. Obviously, we want to put it into play as soon as possible, but we also want to be respectful of each league’s calendar and how do we best go forth and do this. And I’ve got to say, I’ve been very impressed with both leagues and how much they’re leaning in and collaborating and cooperating to make this happen,” Parlow Cone said.
Not only will the tournament crown a national champion, it will also become the pathway to the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the confederation’s club championship.
“I have wanted to launch this competition for quite some time. Historically, we haven’t had a robust women’s amateur league and competition and a number of teams in order to do it, and we only had the one Division One professional league. So it didn’t seem like the right time then,” Parlow Cone said. “Now the GSL has come in as another division one league. And as they get the first couple of years under their belt, I feel like, and now we’re going to also help grow that amateur women’s soccer in our country. So it felt like the right time.”
Parlow Cone suggested that the first iteration of the tournament would include NWSL and Gainbridge Super League teams.
“We’re looking at the option for lower division professional teams being able to join, as well as amateur women’s teams being able to join, and what that could and should look like, but we’re also not of the thought that the tournament can’t evolve. So maybe we start with the NWSL and GSL, and then evolve and engage the other teams,” she said. “We’re announcing this in real time as we are still trying to put all the pieces together.”
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There has been a rise in women’s club competitions in recent years. In addition to CONCACAF’s Champions Cup, FIFA has added Champions Cup, currently in its second year, and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup is set to start in 2028.
Parlow Cone would not comment on reports that the United States is bidding for the Club World Cup.
Added competitions has brought concerns over the overload on elite players. FIFPRO, the global players union, keeps a database on player load, including underload.
“I mean, I’m a former player, so this is always top of mind for me specifically,” Parlow Cone said. “We could not be working more closely with NWSL and GSL and their sporting leaders to create models for the schedules for the exact reason that you mentioned, and we want to make sure that we’re not overloading the players, not underloading, and allowing enough recovery between their league matches and the Crest Cup matches. So, like I said before, I would imagine that this would be mostly midweek matches, but I’m not going to declaratively say that right now, as we’re not announcing a launch date.”
The tournament will also serve to help prepare players — and the federation — for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
“I think this is a a great timing in order to create another competition because most of the the players and the coaches and the teams in our ecosystem, they only get that international exposure if they make their national teams, or if they’re lucky, one or two teams to be able to play in the CONCACAF tournament,” Parlow Cone said. “But this is another way to get more players interleague competition that could then lead to international competition in really meaningful games.”
Links
Zambia players stuck because of Ebola protocols
Bloomberg with a story on how Trinity Rodman’s contract is changing women’s sports
Berman weighs in on FC Cincinnati bid for an NWSL team
More on Berman addressing Racing Louisville
Ashley Sanchez is locked in ahead of the playoffs
Columbus NWSL team hires Lucy Rushton at GM
What to know about the NWSL Skills Challenge
FIFPRO report highlights challenges faced by women
The Spain-US game at Audi demonstrates Michele Kang’s influence
The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the US team in the wake of Spain
Questions facing England ahead of the World Cup
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
