The Women’s Premier Soccer League announced today that WPSL PRO, a professional Division III women’s soccer league in the United States, slated to tentatively begin play in 2025.
The WPSL, the country’s longest-running and largest women’s soccer league, has long explored adding professional soccer to its playing platform and is delighted to take this next step in promoting the women’s game in this country. The establishment of the WPSL PRO will open up new opportunities for women and young girls to pursue jobs and livelihoods as athletes, coaches, referees, and club and league personnel. This new opportunity demonstrates the WPSL’s dedication to improving gender equality 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 intends to begin with 10 clubs and expand to more than 24 teams by 2030, with soccer activity perhaps commencing as early as 2024. In addition to WPSL PRO, the WPSL will continue to improve and develop its summer amateur league, as well as its WPSL U21 division, which will serve as a proving ground for talented players wanting to move into the university and pro levels. The WPSL PRO sees a huge opportunity to bridge the gap between the enormous base of women’s amateur and pre-professional soccer teams and the highest levels of professional play by launching at the DIII level of professional 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 information on the WPSL PRO’s introduction will be made available in the following weeks and months, with more information on first WPSL PRO growth markets, clubs, league leadership, and the overall league development schedule to be provided.
