U.S. Soccer grants USL Super League division-one women's status - alongside NWSL - with eight-team league set to launch in August for 2024-25 season

Their first-division sanctioning was announced Tuesday, with eight-different markets across the United States all set to begin play in 2024-25. Brooklyn, Carolina, Dallas/Fort-Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Lexington (KY), Spokane, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. will all be a part of the inaugural season.

Eight additional markets are expected to join in future seasons with Chattanooga, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Madison, Oakland, Palm Beach, Phoenix and Tucson all being explored as additions.

The USL Super league is set to compete on the international calendar and bring about a 'connected women's pathway' from the youth levels to the professional game. As such, they will play a fall-to-summer calendar, operating alongside the European schedule.

“This is a tremendous moment for the USL Super League and for women’s sports,” said USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort. “Receiving Division One sanctioning further showcases the work that our ownership groups, our clubs, and the league are doing to create a professional environment for top-level talent to compete. This is a crucial step toward realizing our vision to be a global leader in women’s soccer on and off the field. We cannot wait to see our clubs take the field when we kick off in August 2024.”

“Congratulations to the USL Super League on receiving its sanctioning as a Division One professional women’s soccer league,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “The USL Super League is looking to grow the women’s game and to expand the opportunities for women to compete at the highest professional level. As with all our professional leagues, we look forward to collaborating with the USL Super League and extend our best wishes to the clubs as they gear up for the upcoming season this August.”

With their division one sanctioning being granted by U.S. Soccer, there is now officially a competing league alongside the NWSL. However, with the USL Super League operating during the international calendar, their schedules will only overlap during the Spring portion of each league's campaign. There will also be two overlapping markets, with Brooklyn and D.C. set to have teams in each league - relative - to the location of the other.

Important requirements for division-one soccer in the women's game by U.S. Soccer are for leagues to have a minimum of eight teams, with 75 per cent of clubs playing in metropolitan markets with a population of 750,000 and for clubs to have one owner with at least a 35-percent share with an individual net worth of at least $15 million (£14m).

As for whether or not the two leagues will look at each other as competing markets, the NWSL has taken the viewpoint that their growth as a league has led to 'limited roster spots' and as a result, an additional first-division league will help the growth of the sport, rather than hinder opportunities in their league.

“We congratulate the USL in their efforts to launch a professional league. We know the work and investment required,” the NWSL said in a statement. “As we have seen from our record attendance, viewership, sponsorship revenue and expansion fees, the NWSL is growing at an exceptional pace, and we’re excited about our future. As the most competitive women’s league in the world, there are limited roster spots available in the NWSL. More opportunities to compete professionally is a good thing and we’re interested to see how a new league might contribute to the continued growth of our game.”

The USLSL will begin play this August and, from now until then, it's about the eight different teams building their rosters and preparing for the upcoming campaign.