Salt Lake City, UT (PSF) - On Saturday March 11th, the NWSL announced the return of the Utah Royals as their next expansion club. They will begin playing next season, in 2024. The Royals were previously in the League from 2017 through 2020, playing in the 2018 and 2019 regular season, as well as the 2020 Challenge Cup and Fall Series. Reports of racism and abuse from the ownership and leadership came out and they were heavily pressured to sell the team and/or step down. The Royals ceased operations in December 2020. Their player assets were transferred to a new expansion club in Kansas City at that time.

The NWSL has been looking at adding more teams in the next few years, especially after the success of Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave. It is exciting to see that a new ownership group can bring back a widely popular team, hopefully without the tainted reputation.

Some fans are frustrated by this decision. There has been pressure on the NWSL to stop adding expansion teams in places where women’s rights are being questioned. In particular, places like Utah that have restrictive abortion laws. Fans are also concerned about the announcement of the teams’ main jersey sponsor, America First Credit Union. The language of “America First” has been used by white supremacist groups in the past. While this credit union does not have connections to groups, fans of color have expressed their concerns about having this phrasing on a jersey.

Overall, I think the expansion is exciting and important. The NWSL is proving that people do care about women’s sports and there are growth opportunities. Still, the League should pay attention to these