Our Conclusions
From our research of these teams we learned a few things about entering the sports market today. Some of the general patterns we found are listed below:
Your Team Name Matters
In 2021, following a number of scandals, Sky Blue FC was rebranded to Gotham FC. The name was inspired by the fictional city from the Batman universe that was loosely based off New York City. Strategically, this name change represented their expanding regional reach as they attempted to lure more fans from the New York metropolitan area. The name change has gained a lot of attention and displays how the name of the team can effect the success and number of fans.
Find Unsaturated Markets
Before the Heart of Pines, there were three semi- professional sports teams: The SeaDogs (minor baseball), The Mariners (ECHL hockey team), and the Celtics (NBA G League). Therefore, this soccer team was entering a very unsaturated market. Because of this they have been able to build a substantial fan base.
From this we learned that it is important to choose where you start teams wisely. In our day and age, a lot of areas (such as NYC, DC, Boston) have multiple professional teams. It is harder to compete for fans. Therefore, when entering the sports market investors/sponsors should look for areas that have been untapped.
Build Your Team Around Property
In 2021, the owners of the Kansas City Current announced their plan to build a $70 million stadium on the Kansas City riverfront. This stadium sent a rip current through women's professional sports, encouraging other teams to expand training facilities and match venues. In the future, we can expect team owners, especially in the NWSL, to invest more heavily in stand-alone stadiums and facilities owned and operated primarily by women's teams.
Sponsors and Investors are Everything
Throughout our research we also saw that attracting sponsors and investors is extremely crucial for the success of a franchise. For example, this past February, Gotham FC signed a multi-year back-of-jersey sponsor deal with Dove. Although the exact number was not released, it was determined to be the highest back-of-jersey deal in NWSL history. The previous record was $500,000.
Sources: Bonn, Kyle. “Is Gotham FC Named after Batman? Origins of NWSL Soccer Franchise in New York City’s Shadow Explained.” Sporting News, October 5, 2024. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/nwsl/news/gotham-fc-batman-nwsl-new-york-city-soccer-name/2f9634349072ab4b1431a646. Accessed Fri Feb 14, 2025
Sources: Bachman, Rachel. “No One Wanted to Finance Their Stadium. Now Every Game Is a Sellout.” The Wall Street Journal, July 5, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/kansas-city-current-nwsl-cpkc-stadium-433627b8.
Sources: Badenhausen, Kurt. “NWSL’s Gotham FC Signs Record Back-of-Jersey Deal with Dove.” Sportico.com, February 13, 2025. https://www.sportico.com/business/sponsorship/2025/nwsl-gotham-fc-jersey-sponsorship-record-dove-1234828082/. Accessed Feb 25, 2025