The PWHL’s first growth group might be primarily based in Vancouver with an announcement scheduled for subsequent week, an individual with information of the choice confirmed to The Related Press on Friday.
The individual spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of the league has not revealed its plans. The Province newspaper in Vancouver first reported town being chosen for PWHL growth.
On maintain for now could be the league saying a second growth metropolis, with Seattle being thought of, the individual stated. The league has different candidates for growth if discussions break down with officers in Seattle, the individual added.
The Vancouver growth announcement is anticipated to be made Wednesday, with media invited to attend a press convention billed as being an “historic announcement for sport in Vancouver and British Columbia.” The brand new group is anticipated to be primarily based out of the Pacific Coliseum, the previous dwelling of the NHL Canucks.
The PWHL declined to confirm any particulars by saying: “We’re persevering with to finalize selections associated to growth and look ahead to sharing extra particulars quickly.”
The six-team league is within the midst of finishing its second season and has spent the previous six months evaluating greater than 20 markets for the potential to increase by as many as two franchises.
Giant market with rising women’ hockey base
The choice to pick out Vancouver meets a number of key standards for the ladies’s professional league based by Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter, who serves because the PWHL’s monetary backer, and tennis icon Billie Jean King in June 2023.
Except for being a big market, the area has a rising women’ hockey base, which was evident in January, when a PWHL impartial website sport in Vancouver drew a sellout crowd of 19,038 — the fourth-largest turnout for a league sport.
Geography additionally performs an element with the league searching for to broaden its attain throughout North America. The league at present has 5 groups — New York, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto — primarily based within the northeast, and one in St. Paul, Minnesota.
PWHL officers have privately expressed concern of a start-up professional ladies’s league being launched on the west coast.
Including an growth group in Seattle would take advantage of sense partly due to its proximity to Vancouver, whereas additionally already dwelling to 2 professional ladies’s groups, the WNBA Storm and NWSL Reign FC. The PWHL’s impartial website sport in Seattle in January drew a crowd of 12,608.
Different potential markets embody Denver, Detroit and Quebec Metropolis, although it is extra doubtless the PWHL would need a second growth group primarily based within the U.S.
The PWHL’s nine-city Takeover Tour of impartial video games this season drew 123,601 followers in serving to the league high the 1 million mark in attendance final month.
The PWHL’s common season resumes subsequent week — with every group having three video games left — following a three-week break coinciding with the ladies’s world championships being held within the Czech Republic. The four-team playoffs are set to open within the first week of Might.
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A month into the job, Malaika Underwood has been attending to know gamers and listening to their considerations.
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