Progress is being made. It comes in pieces, some small, some large, some in-between. When brought together and each is placed in the proper position, those pieces become tangible elements of the blueprint we’ve laid out for the year leading up to the league’s April 2009 launch. With each passing week the vision becomes more and more of a reality. Here are the signs of progress we witnessed as the calendar flipped from April into May:
The plan to allocate members of the U.S. Women’s National Team player pool to each of our teams is being formulized. Salaries and contracts for these athletes are being discussed by the WPS Players Committee. A marketing plan for the actual allocation event is being designed. And Commissioner Antonucci reached out to the National Team player pool to begin giving them regular updates on the league.
Our expansion efforts are making significant headway. Once territory rights are defined, we will be announcing our eighth market. In a separate initiative, Commissioner Antonucci held a lunch meeting this week with potential investors in the Bay Area. Also, WPS Managing Editor / Internet Producer Karyn Lush has been working with league ambassadors in Colorado to promote the Women’s Soccer Celebration, where WPS is seeking to gauge interest in placing a team in Denver. The May 15 event at Dicks Sporting Goods Park includes an appearance by Abby Wambach and a doubleheader between the W-League’s Washington Freedom and Fort Collins Force followed by the MLS’s Colorado Rapids hosting Real Salt Lake. Commissioner Tonya Antonucci will be attending the Women’s Soccer Celebration as part of the Three Leagues Summit which will also include Tim Holt, COO of United Soccer Leagues which operates the W-League, and WPSL Commissioner Jerry Zanelli.
Another event we’re promoting, planning and staffing is the May 10 U.S. Women’s National Team against Canada at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Freedom with support from the league will have a strong presence outside of the stadium prior to the match to meet fans, hand out information and register spectators in a raffle to win jerseys signed by one of three National Team stars: Mia Hamm, Hope Solo and Abby Wambach. If you’ll be at the game, come by and see us!
WPS League Development / Relationships Manager Aaron Burch, Boston Breakers Business Development & Marketing Assistant Greta Teller and Karyn have combined to devise a grassroots marketing plan to reach out to youth players at a number of tournaments this summer including the US Youth Soccer National Championship Regionals and Finals and US Club Soccer’s National Cup VII Regionals and Finals.
Other items on the docket included Commissioner Antonucci talking with Fox Soccer Channel and Comcast about potential television deals; Karyn interviewing the owner of the eighth team for a future feature story, coordinating the WPS blog crew and searching for a New Media / Social Media Intern; and Aaron organizing WPS’s presence at the AYSO Annual General Meeting taking place May 23-25 in San Francisco, planning the next WPS Board of Governors call and ordering cubicles for the office.
Yes, more employees are on their way to 1000 Brannan! Commissioner Antonucci conducted more interviews this week for a variety of positions and came to decisions on the Director of Marketing and Office Manager / Assistant to the Commissioner jobs. Look for announcements on those hirings once the paperwork for the new employees is finalized.
In the middle of all of this busyness, we accomplished a significant task that is ongoing and can never be overlooked – we made a new WPS fan. A UPS driver walked in our door this week to deliver some phones and a conversation ensued as he asked if we’re involved in soccer (the WPS logos on are door provide a good clue as to what we do). We learned he is from Brazil and before long Commissioner Antonucci snuck out of her office to inquire about his favorite player (Marta, of course) and encouraged him to juggle for us. Before he went on his way to his next delivery, he promised to be a fan.
Our UPS driver shows off his foot skills.