NWSL: 3 takeaways from 2020 season plans

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NWSL (Photo by Jose Argueta/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

The NWSL announced their plans as to how they will resume the 2020 season. Here are three takeaways from the league’s plan to return.

On Wednesday morning, the National Women’s Soccer League officially announced how it would resume the 2020 season. A statement revealed the league would take part in the 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah which sees all nine teams playing four preliminary matches to determine the seedings before the top eight teams enter into a straight knockout competition.

The competition will begin on June 27 and end with the championship on July 26 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. While there will be no fans in the stands, this is one of the first American leagues to announce its return after COVID-19 postponed the start of the 2020 season.

The plans were first made available to the public via documents obtained by The Athletic that outlined the league’s plans. With those plans now official, here are three takeaways from the NWSL’s 2020 return-to-play plans.

ORLANDO, FL – APRIL 23: Lianne Sanderson (L) and Alex Morgan of the Orlando Pride speak with the media after winning a NWSL soccer match against the Houston Dash at the Orlando Citrus Bowl on April 23, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The Orlando Pride won the game 3-1. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

3. A chance to sell the league

The NWSL was experiencing momentum following the 2019 season. Attendance was up across the league, new advertisers were breaking into women’s soccer and the league was changing how fans watched matches.

Last season, Yahoo Sports streamed NWSL matches, but this year all matches will be available on CBS All Access with the season opener and championship match aired on CBS for supporters in the United States and Canada. International supporters can stream matches via Twitch, which is also new for the 2020 season.

The country — and world — is hungry for sports to return and the NWSL’s plans made them the first team sport to return in America. Following the USWNT’s 2019 World Cup victory, sports fans across the nation have tuned into women’s soccer closer than before and will surely watch again during the 2020 competition.

This tournament gives the NWSL the spotlight as fans will watch to get any sports on their television, but will also give people the opportunity to explore women’s soccer past the World Cup and Olympics. This is an incredible opportunity for the league to use that spotlight to promote their product. People will watch closely as the NWSL returns to action in 2020. If all goes well, this is the league’s chance to capitalize on a lot of momentum behind the league.

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