THE WPSL ANNOUNCES NEW PROFESSIONAL DIVISION III WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 8, 2023) - The Women’s Premier Soccer League announced today it will launch WPSL PRO, a professional Division III women’s soccer league in the United States, that is tentatively planned to kick off in 2025. 
 

As the most tenured and largest women’s soccer league in the world, the WPSL has long considered the addition of professional soccer to its playing platform and is excited to take this next step in growing the women’s game in this country.  The creation of WPSL PRO will provide new avenues of development for both women and young girls to pursue careers and livelihoods as athletes, coaches, referees, and club and league staff. This new opportunity speaks to the WPSL’s commitment to advancing gender equity through sport.  
 

“We are ecstatic to announce WPSL PRO and to further grow our commitment to women’s soccer through the launch of this new professional league,” Sean Jones, WPSL president, said. “We have been in such awe and admiration for the continued growth of the women’s game in America and feel that our launch of a professional league at the DIII level can achieve massive success for the sport and for all the women and young girls who play and enjoy the world’s beautiful game.”
 

The WPSL PRO plans to launch with 10 teams and looks to grow to more than 24 teams by 2030, with soccer activities potentially beginning in some form as early as 2024.  In addition to operating WPSL PRO, the WPSL will continue to elevate and expand its summer amateur league, as well as its WPSL U21 division which will continue to serve as a proving ground for young players looking to advance into the collegiate and pro ranks.  In initiating at the DIII level of professional play, the WPSL PRO sees a tremendous opportunity to fill in the gap between the large base of women’s amateur and pre-professional soccer clubs and the top tiers of pro play.
    

“The WPSL has long been recognized for the large number of its athletes who advance on to professional soccer whether to the NWSL or top global professional clubs and leagues,” Kendra Halterman, WPSL commissioner, said.  “The WPSL has clearly established itself as a playing environment that can prepare players for the highest levels of the game and the launch of this new league now enables us to provide even more women’s soccer players with those viable avenues of growth.”
 

Additional details on the launch of the WPSL PRO will be made available in the coming weeks and months, with more information to be provided on initial WPSL PRO expansion markets, teams, league leadership and the overall league development timeline.
 

Since 1998, the WPSL has been home to thousands of female players who have paved the way for the progression of this sport for women, and who set the stage for the explosive growth that the game of soccer is experiencing today. The WPSL and WPSL PRO will be forever indebted to the commitment and sacrifice of its many alumnae who have helped to make this moment possible.  

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For more information about WPSL PRO, visit wpslsoccer.com and league social platforms - Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About the Women’s Premier Soccer League

Celebrating its 25th season of play in 2023, the Women’s Premier Soccer League is the most tenured and largest women’s soccer league in the world – with an all-time high 131 teams competing in 33 U.S. states and 73 metro areas. Team rosters feature current and former collegiate players, the nation’s top prep prospects, and international standouts. The amateur summer league produced more than 70 percent of the selections in the 2023 NWSL College Draft and WPSL alumnae represent 50 percent of the members of the United States women’s national team.