The Women’s United Soccer Association is no more. The
league suspended its operations Monday after a unanimous vote from
its board of governors. This announcement comes just days before
World Cup 2003 is set to kick off.
Gone with the league are the hopes of many great female soccer
players who planned to play professional soccer in the United
States. Many of these players currently find themselves in college,
faced with the unenviable decision of finding another career or
going to play abroad.
Senior defender Nandi Pryce, an All-American for UCLA this past
year and an integral part of the United States’ Under-21
Team’s Nordic Cup championship, hoped to be drafted into the
eight-team league in February.
“I was disappointed (to hear the news),” she said.
“It was the only women’s professional soccer league in
the world. It’s the only league that was covered medically
and had salaries. I don’t know what’s going to happen
with my future in soccer next year.”
UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis was involved in the WUSA as a
color commentator for the San Diego Spirit. She is also friends
with U.S. soccer greats Julie Foudy and Shannon McMillan.
“It’s just extremely sad,” Ellis said.
“It’s devastating news for the people that are involved
in the women’s game. It’s sad because I have a lot of
people that I’ve worked with who are playing in the league,
and they’re going to unfortunately have to go elsewhere,
probably abroad, to play.”
Former Bruins Venus James of the Carolina Courage, Rhi Tanaka of
the San Diego Spirit, Skylar Little of the Washington Freedom, and
Mary-Frances Monroe of the Boston Breakers were active in the
league when it was disbanded.
“Mary-Frances Monroe called me today,” Ellis said.
“I asked her, “˜What are you going to to?’ and she
said, “˜I have to start looking for a job.’ I said to
her that she has to go overseas to play.”
Even though the reality seems to be that the league is gone, its
supporters are left to ask what went wrong and hope these failures
can be remedied in the future.
John Hendricks, the WUSA chairman, said that eight corporate
sponsors needed to spend $2.5 million per year for the WUSA to stay
afloat. However, only two companies, Hyundai and Johnson &
Johnson, had agreed to a sponsorship.
Ellis believes the league mismanaged its money, ineffectively
spending most of the original $100 million in the first year,
leaving few options for years two and three.
“I think in the first two years of the league, some of the
people who put it together weren’t realistic in their
expectations,” Ellis said. “They put the teams in
stadiums that were too big. The rent was too much.”
Pryce, who now plans to graduate in fall 2004 and then to go
abroad or help out with the UCLA team, echoes Ellis’
sentiments.
“If you look closely at the league when it first started,
the people in charge of the league made some bad decisions as to
where the money was spent,” she said.
Now the focus will turn to the World Cup, where 56 WUSA players
will represent their national squads.
“It’s unfortunate,” Ellis said.
“I’m sad for the game right now, and I’m hoping
this World Cup will get people to pony up with sponsorships so the
league can continue.”