It's official, the city of Louisville will have a National Women's Soccer League team in 2021. The NWSL made the announcement this afternoon, ensuring that Louisville will have its first ever professional team.
The current USL team (Louisville City FC) has purple and silver in their kit so we could potentially see two NWSL teams with similar colours as the Orlando Pride currently also play in purple.
Duffy and Estes look forward to seeing Louisville to the NWSL
Amanda Duffy, the NWSL President, was on hand to release a statement about the expansion to Louisville. Duffy stated that the league was "very excited to welcome" Louisville City FC and their ownership group to the league. Duffy felt that the club's "growing, passionate fanbase" and its "significant investment in a soccer specific stadium" helped solidify the introduction of Louisville to the NWSL.
Louisville City FC's President Brad Estes also released a statement about his team's introduction into the NWSL. Estes stated that the team was "incredibly honoured" to be joining the NWSL and they could not "wait to welcome" the athletes and support them in winning championships. Estes added that Louisville was "hungry for more pro soccer" and he felt that the NWSL team will be "a shining star in this league and in our community."
The final statement on this expansion came from John Neace, the Chairman of Soccer Holdings, LLC and the ownership group of Louisville City FC. Neace stated that as an owner, they "jumped at the chance" to join the NWSL. The ownership group felt that the NWSL was a "sound business decision" to add on to their their soccer-specific stadium and the entertainment district around it.
The NWSL expansion draft for 2021 will take place towards the end of 2020 and Louisville will now start their search for a head coach and technical staff before bringing in players.
Watch the livestream announcement here: https://www.louisvillecityfc.com/nwsl
Quotes via nwslsoccer.com