New Women's League Announces Name, Logo

Women's Professional Soccer will start in 2009

January 17, 2008

BALTIMORE – Women's pro soccer is now officially back, complete with a new name and a fresh Mia Hamm-inspired logo.

Formally announced in September and scheduled to launch next spring, the new women’s soccer league made its official debut Thursday at the NSCAA convention in Baltimore, unveiling the league's new name -- Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) -- and new logo : a navy, red, and gold colored silhouette of Hall of Famer and women's soccer pioneer Mia Hamm.

The logo for Women's Professional Soccer, the new women's pro league set to debut in 2009.

The successor to the short-lived Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), WPS is set to launch in April 2009 with teams in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington D.C., with a eighth team to be announced later.

“A long and careful process led to the selection of Women’s Professional Soccer and the subsequent WPS acronym,” Tonya Antonucci, WPS commissioner, said in a league statement. “The league and team owners reviewed countless variations of league names and logos and conducted numerous focus groups before ultimately deciding on a brand identity that we strongly believe will resonate with fans for years to come.”

“I am extremely honored and humbled to personify the WPS brand, knowing full well that this league will be revered by generations of soccer fans around the world,” said Hamm. “Above all else, this league represents opportunity – not just for female soccer players, but for women everywhere.”

Also today, the league launched its official website at www.womensprosoccer.com, an interactive source for all information related to the league, WPS teams, prospective players and women’s soccer in general. While online, fans will have access to behind-the-scenes videos on WPS TV, prospective player blogs, event and community calendars, league and team news, job and volunteer opportunities, links to individual team pages, and much more.

“It’s very exciting to have the league’s branding announced and to showcase the logo," said Boston Breakers General manager Joe Cummings. "This takes us one step closer to the reality of taking the field in 2009 and playing our first game in the new league."

Since the league was formalized four months ago, operations have been underway at the WPS office in San Francisco and the team offices in the seven cities with teams.