JAXUSL to historically elevate Northeast Florida women’s sports with first major league professional women’s club
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 16, 2023) – JAXUSL, the United Soccer League (USL) franchise group bringing men’s and women’s professional soccer to Northeast Florida, proudly announced today that Jacksonville is among the initial markets to join the USL Super League, bringing the highest level of women’s pro soccer to the First Coast.
The Jacksonville club launch serves as a monumental step to bring women’s soccer closer to home for more players, fans and communities across Northeast Florida. Additionally, this marks a historic first in women’s professional sports for the First Coast as the second major league sports franchise in the region, alongside the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
While the USL Super League intends kick off play in 2024 as a first division league, Jacksonville’s entry into the new women’s professional league is contingent on the development of a new soccer stadium in Northeast Florida by 2026.
For the past several years, the USL has developed a full youth-to-professional pathway for girls and women. As part of the USL Super League, the club will operate at the highest professional standards for women’s soccer across America and creates development and advancement opportunities for players, coaches, referees, and front office employees. USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort said, “We’re excited to bring the first-ever professional women’s soccer team to Northeast Florida, a region with a strong history of women’s soccer, and a thriving community of players and fans today. Super League Jacksonville will create more opportunities for players, coaches, fans and partners at the highest level and bring professional women’s soccer closer to home for all.”
JAXUSL President & CEO, Steve Livingstone, said, “Soccer’s impact for women and girls extends far beyond the pitch and we are proud to be selected as a future USL Super League city. This exciting opportunity will, historically, bring the first women’s professional team in a major league to Northeast Florida. Women’s pro soccer embodies the grace and power of the sport and further fuels our efforts to elevate those who play, work in and watch the game as we continue our men’s pro team development and stadium plans for the Northeast Florida community.”
In the coming weeks, JAXUSL will host a Jacksonville Super League announcement locally, where USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort will join the club to provide additional details on the ownership and exciting developments around the new women’s pro franchise in Northeast Florida. Fans are encouraged to visit www.jaxusl.com for updates as details are finalized.
About JAXUSL JAXUSL is the operating company formed to bring and develop men’s and women’s professional United Soccer League franchises to Northeast Florida. The company’s goal is to bring competitive USL Championship and Super League action to the First Coast and to work with local authorities in the development of a 15,000-capacity stadium and training facility to host the clubs in Northeast Florida.
