On Tuesday the National Women’s Soccer League announced that they would host matches in the Fall. The matches will be called the NWSL Fall Series which follows up the NWSL Challenge Cup which took place this Summer in Utah.
According to the league that season will resume on September 5th and will have three matches on CBS, three on CBS Sports Network, and then four matches on CBS All Access. In total there will be 18 matches that will take place over the course of seven weeks. Teams will be placed into three separate bubbles which will house three teams apiece.
As for specifics the league is a bit lacking at the moment with details still being ironed out behind the scenes. A full format and schedule are expected to be announced sometime next week.
“Building on the success of this summer’s Challenge Cup, I am so excited to smartly and safely take this next step on the NWSL’s journey,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. “The women of the NWSL want to compete and we’ve certainly heard from our fans all over the world looking for more action this year. I’d like to thank the NWSL Player’s Association for their constant collaboration, as well as CBS for continuing to invest in our league’s growth and this unprecedented opportunity to showcase the NWSL to a world-wide audience, week-in, week-out.”
For NWSL fans the expanded CBS broadcasts is a positive sign after CBS broadcasted just two matches live on CBS for the Challenge Cup and none on CBS Sports Network with the main broadcast platform being CBS All Access.
“The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on CBS All Access and CBS was very successful this summer, driving record numbers for the League across all platforms. We are thrilled to be able to build on that momentum with the return of the NWSL in September,” said Dan Weinberg, EVP, Programming, CBS Sports. “We will once again capitalize on CBS’ multi-platform assets for this outstanding property with games on CBS Sports Network and CBS All Access, as well as four Saturday afternoon games on CBS, creating even more exposure for the League. Together, with our great partners at the NWSL, we look forward to another memorable run of women’s soccer this fall.”
In order to make the Fall Series a success from a COVID-19 standpoint, the league will be using protocols that were successful in the Challenge Cup. Some changes have been made due to the fact that this will require to play in home markets and travel will add the additional risk of COVID-19. Travel from market to market will likely be a hot topic in the NWSL and for that, the league has come up with a flurry of rules. Teams have the option to either fly or charter two 50+ person buses for market to market travel. For all of the rules and protocols for the Fall Series check out the webpage the league set up.
As for the breakout of teams, here they are:
West: OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC, Utah Royals FC
Northeast: Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit
South: North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Houston Dash
