The National Women’s Soccer league (NWSL) is taking a 13 day break during the group stages of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. The NWSL is two months into their third season as a professional league. The NWSL is the third attempt at having a viable women’s professional soccer league in the United States. However, the league is struggling to get viewers.
Outside of Portland, most teams struggle to get anywhere between 1,500 to 3,000 fans in the stands. Also, if you want to watch a match being played you can’t just flip on your television and looking through your TV guide. The NWSL doesn’t have a broadcast deal like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or even MLS. Until this year, MLS struggled to have nationally televised games week in and week out. You never knew if you were going to get a “Game of the Week” on ESPN week in and week out. With the new deal, there are guaranteed nationally televised games on Friday and Sunday. To see the actual TV deal that MLS has, go here.
To watch any NWSL games, you have to watch via YouTube. Yes, it’s free and it’s a nice avenue for the league to have. However, every match has to be ed and everyone know that’s no matter how good of an internet connection you have, you will have some lag and occasionally the will stall or you have to refresh your browser.
Last year, ESPN and NWSL agreed to a TV deal to broadcast nine games during the 2014 season. As part of the agreement, ESPN2 aired three regular-season matches and all three NWSL playoff matches, which included the two semifinal games on August 23 and 24, and the championship game on August 31.
Per the press release via the NWSL website, here are the nine games that were nationally televised
Sunday, July 20, 2014 Portland Thorns FC Boston Breakers ESPN2
Wednesday, July 30, 2014 Houston Dash Seattle Reign FC ESPN3
Sunday, August 03, 2014 Portland Thorns FC Houston Dash ESPN2
Saturday, August 09, 2014 Houston Dash Sky Blue FC ESPN3
Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Western New York Flash Sky Blue FC ESPN2
Sunday, August 17, 2014 Portland Thorns FC Seattle Reign FC ESPN3
As you can see above, four of the six match listed were showing Portland or Seattle. Houston, Sky Blue FC, Boston Breakers and Western New York Flash were also featured, but not one showed games featuring FC Kansas City, Chicago Red Stars or the Washington Spirit. Yes, Kansas City got exposure during the playoffs as did the Spirit, but what would have happened if they didn’t make the playoffs? They would have alienated three of their nine clubs. They alienated one of their clubs in the Red Stars by not having them on a national broadcast.
NWSL needs to find someone to broadcast at least one game a week on some major network. It is really the only way they will survive longer than their predecessors. In doing so, they will give their league and nine clubs exposure all across the country. They typically play 20-24 games a season and it’s not that hard to give your nine clubs exposure. In this writer's mind, the key to more rears in the seats is to have more exposure on TV.
It may or may not work, but the league needs to sit down and figure it out or a lot of players will be looking for jobs somewhere else real soon.