The National Women’s Soccer League is making its return to the state of Utah. The league introduced on Saturday that the newest enlargement franchise, the Utah Royals, will start enjoying in 2024. The membership initially existed in NWSL in 2018 however folded in 2020 after the Challenge Cup and Fall Series, shifting to Kansas City and turning into the Current after former proprietor Dell Roy Hansen was ousted by each the NWSL and Major League Soccer as proprietor of Real Salt Lake for racist remarks and a poisonous office tradition.
The two golf equipment are actually owned by David Blitzer and Ryan Smith. The enlargement charge for the franchise is reportedly between $2 million and $5 million, based on the Wall Street Journal.
“When we acquired Real Salt Lake final 12 months, we stated it was a matter of when, not if, the NWSL would return to Utah. This has at all times been an integral a part of our mission. With in the present day’s announcement, we’re thrilled to satisfy the promise we made to our unbelievable fan base,” stated Blitzer in a press release. “We are grateful for the chance to make use of our assets and platform to take girls’s soccer to the subsequent degree whereas inspiring future gamers and followers globally.”
Blitzer additionally owns stakes in Crystal Palace, Augsburg FC, GD Estoril Praia and Waasland-Beveren. He additionally is an element proprietor of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers, whereas Smith owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
“We are excited to broaden the ‘One Utah’ household and convey the Royals again to Utah,” Smith stated. “Having skilled girls’s soccer again within the state has at all times been a prime precedence for David Blitzer and myself, and could be very significant to us, the followers, our companions, and all the state.”
The membership can be led by president Michelle Hyncik, who was Real Salt Lake’s General Counsel for the previous three years. The staff will as soon as once more play at America First Credit Union Field, the place Real Salt Lake play.
“We are delighted to welcome Utah Royals FC and its devoted fan base again into the league,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman stated. “The return of the ladies’s sport to Utah, the place soccer roots run deep, is a victory for gamers and followers alike. As the Royals start this new chapter underneath the brand new possession and management, I’m assured the membership will construct a player-first group geared up with the instruments to thrive on and off the pitch.”
