(Podcast) The State of Women's Professional Soccer

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Today, the leaders of the soccer conversation on WomenTalkSports.com got together to discuss the state of women’s soccer. On the call were:

- Megan Hueter (me), WomenTalkSports cofounder
- Amanda Vandervort, web coordinator for Women’s Pro Soccer and author of Soccer Science
- Dr. Jennifer Doyle, author of From a Left Wing, and associate professor at the University of California, Riverside
- Jenna Pel, author of All White Kit
- Jane Schonberger, WomenTalkSports cofounder/editorial lead, editor of PrettyTough.com

The full recording of the call can be found here:

The State of Women's Professional Soccer

Women Talk Sports Podcasts

While the call is almost an hour long, I’ve provided you with a time breakdown of each topic, so feel free to skip to whichever topic interests you the most. I apologize in advance for being able to hear me type notes while people are talking. That will not happen again on future calls.

Thanks again for everyone who participated. Good luck to all the WPS teams this season!

0:00 - 2:30 – Introductions and backgrounds

2:30 – 5:45 - background on the Women’s Professional Soccer league, league attendance estimates, sponsors/partners, 2010 kick-off (led by Amanda Vandervort)

5:50 - 10:15 - what to look for in 2010, top players, match-ups. Mentions: Lauren Cheney, Marta, Chicago Red Stars

10:20 - 17:35 - role of International players in WPS (differentiator from other sports): England, Sweden, Japan, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Spain. 19 countries represented in WPS. Also touched on role of international media, FIFA’s role, impact of Title IX on women’s soccer in the United States.

17:45 - 32:20 - role of the media in the U.S. in covering women’s professional soccer. Mentioned Fox Soccer Channel, regional broadcast partnerships, webcasts, sometimes lag in mainstream media, and how bloggers are helping to fill the gap. Newspapers, sports media and game recaps. Outlets: Goal.com, Bleacher Report, The Global Game

32:20 - 33:50 International coverage of women’s soccer (World Cup)

33:50 – 35:25 - Elizabeth Lambert/ESPN, headlines, how it was handled

35:30 – 43:20 - youth soccer players, their engagement in the league and with players through social media and by attending games. Also touching on the success of the WPS new Defend Your Turf marketing campaign.

43:23 – 53:45 - engaging independent soccer leagues among Hispanic and Latin neighborhood leagues, harnessing their talent. Mainstream Spanish language media tapping into soccer community in independent leagues in the southwest U.S.

55:00 – 56:25 - LA Sol, future plans, closing remarks

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This post is related to an ongoing story:

• 2010 WPS Season

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