CHICAGO, IL–The National Women’s Soccer League is set to resume play in a Challenge Cup format starting on Saturday, June 27th at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, which is the home of Real Salt Lake’s reserve side Real Monarchs of the USL Championship and Major League Rugby’s Utah Warriors. The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, sponsored by Proctor and Gamble and Secret, will feature all nine NWSL teams in a 25-match tournament. Each team will play four preliminary matches to determine seeding with the top eight sides advancing to the quarterfinals which will follow a knockout format.
The opening match and final will be aired live on CBS with the remainder of matches to be streams on CBS All-Access in the USA and Canada and on Twitch internationally.
A full tournament schedule, including game times and further broadcast details, will be provided in the days to come. Spectators will not be permitted in the venue.
“As our country begins to safely reopen and adjust to our collective new reality, and with the enthusiastic support of our players, owners, as well as our new and current commercial partners, the NWSL is thrilled to bring professional soccer back to the United States,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. “This exciting month-long tournament will showcase our league’s talented players and provide our fans the type of world-class entertainment they’ve come to expect from the NWSL.
“The NWSLPA, working closely alongside NWSL, is excited to provide players the opportunity to return to sport, while also securing compensation and other necessities to make sure players’ concerns, feedback, and safety are at the forefront of all conversations,” said NWSLPA Executive Directors Yael Averbuch and Brooke Elby. “As the plans for the tournament unfolded, it was our priority as the NWSLPA to protect our players, and we feel that NWSL shares those values.”
This “international-style” tournament allows the league to safely return to the pitch and will be hosted by Dell Loy Hansen, owner of Utah Royals FC, who will accommodate all housing, training, and competition needs for the league’s nine teams and create an “NWSL Village” to control as much of the environment as possible.
“With the efforts of our frontline workers, our state’s early adoption of preventative measures, and our facilities at Zions Bank Real Academy, Rio Tinto Stadium, and America First Credit Union Field, Utah is uniquely prepared to host the nine teams in the NWSL and put on a tremendous tournament,” said Hansen. “With the full support of the Governor and the medical experts in our community, we are thrilled to bring the tournament to Utah.”
Commissioner Baird and Hansen have met with Utah Governor Herbert, Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, the Utah Sports Commission, and local health officials, and all parties have enthusiastically endorsed the way forward for this tournament. At the time of reporting, the state of Utah has had 8,620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 101 deaths, 5,364 reported recoveries, and 696 hospitalizations. All counties except one in Eastern Utah are at low risk for the virus according to the Utah Department of Health.
“Utah is home to strong health care systems and dedicated medical professionals — and public health and safety are always a top priority for our communities. Because of those factors, I believe our state will be a great location for the National Women’s Soccer League to host its competition in 2020,” Governor Herbert said. “I’m grateful to Dell Loy Hansen for his work to find a solution that we believe will benefit the league and our community as a whole.”
The NWSL’s Medical Task Force, comprised of a team doctor from each of the league’s nine teams, has worked tirelessly over the last nine weeks, in coordination with public health officials, to develop thorough and detailed medical and testing protocols to ensure the safest environment for a return to play and competition. Each player, official, and essential staff member will be tested 48 hours prior to departure for Utah and upon arrival and will be subject to consistent testing, temperature readings, and symptom review throughout their stay in Utah. The full protocols have also received unanimous support from the NWSL board of directors and the NWSLPA and can be found HERE.
THOUGHTS: While Major League Soccer fiddles around with its Disney World plans, the NWSL has a way forward which while it is impossible to have a full season at this point, this is the best thing that can happen without further disruption. It will be hard for fans of all nine teams to not be able to see them in person for the 2020 season, but given how easily COVID-19 can spread and how easily it has disrupted life in the world, there was really little choice for the NWSL.
Plus, absent a vaccine or effective treatment at the present time; increased testing, social distancing wherever possible, wearing masks, and effective hygiene and cleaning practices are the best way to go to mitigate the spread. For the NWSL, and most likely for MLS when and if they can finalize their plans, a challenge cup with all teams present in one place is the best way to go. Hopefully, the fans can return as well as the league with a full schedule in 2021 at the earliest.
NWSL
Utah Royals FC
