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April 10,
2000
Women's
United Soccer League (WUSA) announces initial team markets, and
player commitments.
The major
announcements come shortly before the first round of investment
financing is completed, which will provide a minimum of $40 million
to fund the initial eight team operations plus the League's administration
during the first five years of WUSA operations. League narrowed
its choices to a "Sweet 16" list of markets, and announced that
its first eight WUSA team markets will conditionally be: Atlanta,
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Orlando-Tampa, San Diego, San Francisco
bay area and Washington D.C. A list of eight alternate markets,
which may come aboard in the first year or subsequent years as the
League expands, includes: Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Los Angeles,
Miami, Portland, Raleigh-Durham and St. Louis. The League is closely
monitoring stadium development opportunities as well in Milwaukee,
Denver and Houston. The League will open with 8-10 teams and expand
to as many as 12-14 teams during the first five years of operation.
Markets chosen
were selected based on marketplace enthusiasm for the WUSA, stadium
opportunities, sponsorship potential and local ownership interest
and corresponding television exhibition resources. The initial eight
markets are conditioned on the execution of venue contracts by November
1, 2000. Should an appropriate venue not be secured by that date
in any of the initial markets, then an alternate city will be substituted.
All sixteen markets will remain in active development.
In some markets,
there will be a single, WUSA team-operating investor. Partnerships
will occur in other markets. Below is a list of the funds which
the WUSA investors have committed to secure the team operating rights
in the conditional eight launch markets:
| Market |
WUSA Investor |
Investment |
Amount |
| New York area |
Time Warner Cable |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| Tampa-Orlando |
Time Warner Cable |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| Atlanta |
Cox Enterprises |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| San Diego |
Cox Communications |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| Boston |
Amos Hostetter |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| Philadelphia |
Comcast Corporation |
- |
$5,000,000
|
| Washington D.C. |
John Hendricks |
(50%) |
$2,500,000
|
| (partnership) |
Comcast Corporation |
50% |
$2,500,000
|
| San Francisco |
Amos Hostetter |
(50%) |
$2,500,000
|
| (partnership) |
John Hendricks |
(50%) |
$2,5000,00
|
| |
|
TOTAL |
$40,000,000 |
WUSA has received
additional investment letters from the WUSA investment group plus
others which request reservation of team markets other than the
above. Such investment letters total an additional $20,000,000.
"Our successful
efforts over the past month continue to demonstrate that we are
in the process of more than meeting the needed requirements to establish
and promote the WUSA as a major professional sports league," said
John Hendricks.
The WUSA also
announced it has received additional letters of intent from more
than 100 domestic and international players, including stars from
Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan, Norway, Mexico, Nigeria
and the United States. Prominent among the signings are all professional
league eligible American players who have been invited to participate
in tryouts for the U.S. Olympic team, including Mandy Clemens and
Siri Mullinex. Among the international standouts signing letters
of intent are: Sissi of Brazil, Laurie Hill of Mexico, Kelly Smith
of England, Homare Sawa of Japan, Julie Murray of Australia, Patience
Avre of Nigeria, and Charmaine Hooper of Canada.
The WUSA will
feature all of the members of the 1999 World Cup Champion team.
WUSA's founding players are: Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Tracy
Ducar, Lorrie Fair, Joy Fawcett, Danielle Fotopoulos, Julie Foudy,
Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Tiffeny Milbrett, Carla
Overbeck, Cindy Parlow, Christie Pearce, Tiffany Roberts, Briana
Scurry, Kate Sobrero, Tisha Venturini, Saskia Webber, and Sara Whalen.
Hendricks
also announced the establishment of a WUSA league headquarters office
in New York, which will manage and implement all league operations,
including league management, television, marketing, public relations,
player relations, sponsorships and more.
The WUSA office
is located at:
641 Lexington Avenue
9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-548-5860 and Fax: 212-548-5879
As the momentum
for the WUSA builds, the League is working to create a spirit of
cooperation among all principal organizations and individuals involved
in growing soccer in the United States. In addition to the considerable
discussions which WUSA has had with the leadership of the U.S. Soccer
Federation, WUSA is also seeking the advice and support of the many
valuable youth soccer organizations as the WUSA League and its players
hope to build strong role-modeling connections with youth players
across the nation. WUSA also hopes to support the continued growth
of the men's professional league and, towards this end, WUSA recently
submitted a proposed four-point Cooperation Agreement to Major League
Soccer (MLS) which addresses (1) schedule coordination, (2) cross
promotional activities, (3) cost-sharing, and (4) potential soccer-specific
stadium development.
Hendricks
stated: "Women's soccer has arrived at this exciting point in the
history of the sport due to (1) the incredible achievements of the
WUSA founding players on the world stage; (2) many years of support
by the United States Soccer Federation for the U.S. Women's National
Team; (3) careful and comprehensive work by the USSF in establishing
the standards for development and operation of the Division I Women's
Outdoor Professional Soccer League; and (4) the formation of the
WUSA investor group which will be singularly-focused on developing
the women's pro league into all that it can be by utilizing a powerful
combination of assets:
a.
The world's top players led by Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie
Foudy, Michelle Akers, Kristine Lilly, Briana Scurry, and the rest
of the elite American and international talent signed to date;
b. $40 million in guaranteed cash funding; and
c. Vast exhibition and promotional assets utilizing advanced cable
and internet services.
"The WUSA fully supports the comprehensive standards which the U.S.
Soccer Federation adopted in 1997 for development of the Division
I Women's Outdoor Professional League and our progress this month
has been accomplished due to our objective of meeting the important
milestones in the standards concerning office and operational activities
commencing 12 months prior to the league launch," said Hendricks.
"The U.S. Soccer Federation invested a great deal of time crafting
these important standards and we are using these as our guide to developing
the WUSA League. Our intention is to not only meet but to substantially
exceed all the required standards for membership in the U.S. Soccer
Federation. We respect the process which the Federation has outlined
to us for their fair review and action on our membership application."
John S. Hendricks
is Chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications, Inc., the parent
company of Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and other cable
network services. Mr. Hendricks is serving as Chairman of WUSA's
Board of Governors. Mr. Hendricks is investing personally in the
WUSA and serves as the Chairman and Managing Member of Women's Professional
Soccer, L.L.C., which is the single entity through which the WUSA
League will be developed. Investors include Mr. Hendricks; Mr. Amos
B. Hostetter, Jr., Former Chairman and CEO, Continental Cablevision,
Inc.; Comcast Corporation; Cox Enterprises; Cox Communications;
and Time Warner Cable.
 In
an historic move major corporate financing and media join forces
with top U.S. soccer players to form the first professional women's
soccer league in the USA
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