Could FC Barcelona expand into the United States via the NWSL?
Barcelona has been talking for a while now about expanding into the United States with a women's team, and now it looks like talks are getting more serious.
Sunil Gulati, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, tweeted on Friday that he met with Barcelona executives to discuss the National Women's Soccer League, which Barcelona has said they want to join.
Met @FCBarcelona leadership to discuss @NWSL and other U.S. initiatives. Visited La Masia today and will attend Clasico tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5YFJHqVd3L
— Sunil Gulati (@sunilgulati) December 2, 2016
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was pictured with Gulati, said back in September that the club was exploring the idea of fielding a women's team in the NWSL, a league that is largely funded and operated by U.S. Soccer. It is also the league where nearly every player of the U.S. women's national team competes on the club level, per their federation contracts.
“The women’s football league here is very interesting,” Bartomeu said in September from Barcelona's satellite office opening in New York City. “We’re thinking about the option, in the future, of having our own team here, to compete at the maximum level, and to help us become more well-known.”
The league has only confirmed having informal discussions with several ownership groups, but NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush has said he is looking at potentially adding two teams to the 10-team league in the next round of expansion. Whether Barcelona or some other team enters the NWSL, it would almost certainly be for the start of the 2018 season at the earliest.
It's unclear where a Barcelona-backed NWSL team would be set up, although Plush told FOX Sports that California is the league's top expansion target. With the LA Galaxy starting up a girls academy recently and Los Angeles FC set to join Major League Soccer in 2018 with Mia Hamm as a part-owner, those franchises have been rumored as leading options. Barcelona does have an office in New York City now, but the NWSL already has a nearby team in New Jersey.
Barcelona are not the only interested ownership group vying for an NWSL franchise, but their deep pockets and name cachet may make them an attractive option. The most successful teams in the NWSL from a business perspective have been the three MLS-backed teams that can tap into their existing fan bases on the men's side. Barcelona, one of the top clubs of the world, does have plenty of American fans.
But Barcelona's global appeal means American fans are spread all over the country and their support doesn't include attending Barcelona matches in person on a regular basis. How that sort of fandom would translate to a stateside women's club is anyone's guess. Part of the success of MLS-backed NWSL teams is also the use of existing team infrastructure, which Barcelona does not have in the U.S.
While Barcelona are still apparently in the early stages of exploring the idea of an NWSL team, they have publicly ruled out establishing an MLS team on the men's side.
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