Building the future of women’s sports, literally. Plus: A record crowd in Georgia
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Even though I was in Portland last week, I missed the celebration of Tobin Heath, who played her last game for the Thorns almost exactly four years ago. Saturday night, she finally got her proper sendoff, nutmeg and all. Today: 👷 The importance of…
The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter, Full Time, highlights the importance of physical infrastructure in women's sports. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman emphasized the significance of tangible facilities in instilling a sense of permanence and trust in the system at a panel in Portland during "Epicenter Week." The Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, a new joint training facility for WNBA's Fire and NWSL's Thorns, was built by women for women and features two full-sized outdoor soccer fields, two indoor basketball courts, a weight room, dressing rooms, and a meditation room.
The Spirit, a women's soccer team, has also been struggling with infrastructure issues, sharing a stadium and training facility with their men's counterpart. However, the team is moving into Etihad Park in 2028 and is actively seeking a training facility of their own. Georgia's University of Georgia's women's soccer team shattered the NCAA record with a crowd of 25,433 at Sanford Stadium, surpassing the previous record by over 10,000 fans.
This victory was celebrated by coach Keidane McAlpine, who also expressed excitement about the team's upcoming NWSL presence in Atlanta in 2028.
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