Identify the organization considering the proposed project, and provide a brief overview of the organization and its operations. Identify the market your selected or

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Milestone 1: Sport in a Global Context

Lea Maxwell

Southern New Hampshire University

SPT 700: Sport Management Capstone

Mr. Michael Newhouse-Bailey

November 19, 2022

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Proposed Project Description

Overview of Selected Organization For this project the chosen organization is National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

“The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is a twelve-team Division-I women’s

professional soccer league featuring national team players from around the world” (n.d.). The

National Women's Soccer League is one that has not been around for very long but has made an

impact at the way women sports specifically soccer are looked at. Their mission is "We, the

players of the NWSL, vow to build on the opportunity that has been afforded to us, as well as

work to achieve these goals that have not yet been attained. We honor the vision and progress of

those who came before us… Pledge to work with the League and Allocated Players to advance

continued improvements in women's soccer… Commit ourselves to doing all in our power for the

betterment of our members so that we may best contribute to the common goal: a world-class

product on the field, and to be role models and inspire the next generation off the field" (2019).

The vision of the NWSL is to help women achieve their goals of participating in the game of

soccer at the higher level of competition but to also be the best overall person they can as well.

Even though they are a young organization they are ones that have really made an impact

recently. With the new cba that they have announced they women’s soccer organization is really

starting to grow and get the attention it has been lacking for so long. The way that the sport has

been growing and the popularity it has been getting for women is incredible. The fact is soccer or

football as it is known in other parts of the world is the top sport in many places like Europe,

South America, Africa, and some major parts of Asia. Taking the fact that they love the sport

already but showcasing that women’s soccer is also important.

Market The market that the NWSL will expand to is the African market. This market is a great

opportunity as it already well established in popularity of soccer. They do already have some

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women’s teams out there but on a very small scale and only on the national stage to increase that

by having the addition of NWSL to help increase the women’s side of the game. Men’s soccer is

extremely popular in Africa but showcasing the women and how well they play as well and the

record-breaking attendance for recent women’s games in Africa this would be a great place to

start the expansion of NWSL. The intention of bringing more women’s sports to light, to add to

the expansion of a women’s soccer league and hopefully more with it. “Woman’s football is on a

growth trajectory unlike any other sport in this world. It’s biggest growth opportunity that FIFA

as an organization have today but more importantly, our sport, football, has today. It’s the biggest

growth opportunity there is. And you don’t have to look too far back to see the indicators of that

growth” (Peterson, 2022). Programs that have seen development for women’s sports is fantastic

and to see it continue to grow to other parts of the world is great for girls and women all over.

Project Description

The project will encompass all past knowledge that was gained in previous courses and to

create a plan to expand the NWSL internationally. This project will encompass three main

components. The first component is the feasibility study. The study will look at the organization

itself, also analyze the market/competitiveness, have an executive summary, and look at the

recommendations. The second component will be a recommendation presentation, this will aid in

to help communicate what is needed to be considered for this opportunity. The third and final

component will be a personal reflection. As in any research there are issues or flaws that could

appear due to the possible expansion.

This proposed project is to put into place a successful expansion of the NWSL and to

showcase its program internationally. A goal of this project is to not only to build on the sport but

to also showcase the importance of women sports. Another goal at one point would be to have

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these international locations be hosts to some NWSL games. This would allow fans from all over

be able to attend games for teams they might never had the chance in person. Other sports can be

considered as well to introduce such as basketball to help encourage girls and women to play

sports they are passionate about. It will be required for NWSL staff working internationally to

work closely together with their local partners. A high priority will be the communication to help

expand the organization to the best of its ability. A major goal should make sure that what is

being delivered is to include the international countries to be successful more than any other

sport programs on this nature. A high satisfaction and approval rate for the expansion is going to

be important to help reach other cities and countries. Soccer is already a well-received sport but

to showcase that women’s soccer is also just as entertaining, this is needed to show and impact

the sport even more.

Market Feasibility Current Industry

The current soccer industry is doing well on the financial front, especially on the

women’s side. On a national scale the women’s soccer leagues have been selling out stadiums in

a game earlier this year between Barcelona and Real Madrid broke the record for how many fans

attended the game. There was 91,553 in that stadium, which edged out the 1999 World Cup Final

of U.S. versus China which had 90,185. This has been a trend of games growing and people

wanting to attend. In a recent matchup between England vs U.S. in England was sold out in 24

hours. “U.S. women’s soccer games have generated more revenue than U.S. men’s games over

the past three years. That’s according to audited financial statements from the U.S. Soccer

Federation (USSF) obtained by The Wall Street Journal. In 2016, women’s games generated $1.9

million more in revenue than men’s games. From 2016 to 2018, women’s games generated

approximately $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9 million for men’s games” (Hess,

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2019). Based on these numbers of women soccer they have been excelling for years and have a

great chance to expand and build the brand and programs in international countries.

There has been some great growth of the sport industry even in the popularity of women

sports. The NWSL took on many challenges and with the recent pandemic the league was one of

the first to return to play and not only did they return but they were one and great results, a new

winner, no cases of the virus, and more viewership than ever seen before for the league. With

some great success like this and facing some hard challenges, them going internationally will

help continue to boost the fans and increase viewership. There would be plenty of funding and

money to help support the country and this also helps creates more job opportunities for people.

“The NWSL struck a reported $4.5 million, three-year media rights deal with CBS in 2020 — a

huge jump from its early days on YouTube, which only brought in a few thousand viewers. With

the league’s next set of rights up for grabs in 2023, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said

she expects significant growth” (Gentrup, 2022). With the NWSL doing well for itself and going

to other countries that already have a strong base with the sport there is great potential for it to

continue to grow. The competition that the NWSL will see is the fact that men’s soccer is already

so big that it might take some serious marketing for them to draw the crowd back in for women.

They also might start small as there could not be as many women willing to play the sport in that

country to start. Sports seem to be the main entertainment in the country that hopefully with the

growth that women sports are starting to see it will not be a huge obstacle to overcome. If they

start with not only the professional leagues but also have high school and college women’s

games help build that interest. This could be some great stepping stones for the organization to

excel in another country and see the ways in which expanding the organization could really reach

many parts of the world.

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References

About Us. NWSL Players. (2019). Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://www.nwslplayers.com/about-us

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Gentrup, A. (2022, July 13). Rights deals could boost women's sports into $1B industry. Front Office Sports. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://frontofficesports.com/womens- sports-media-rights-surge-toward-1b-in-value/

Hess, A. J. (2019, July 10). US Women's soccer games now generate more revenue than men's- but the players still earn less. CNBC. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue- than-mens.html

National Women's Soccer League Official Site. NWSL. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://www.nwslsoccer.com/about-the-nwsl

Peterson, A. M. (2022, October 28). FIFA report shows growth in women's soccer . U.S.News. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2022- 10-28/fifa-report-shows-growth-in-womens-soccer

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