The US National Women’s Soccer League kicks off major rebrand
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the US’ premier professional league for women, which includes 10 regional franchises, today announced it is launching a rebrand. Here are the details.
The NWSL is preparing for a rebrand aimed at expanding its global reach
What’s happening
● The NWSL today revealed it has partnered with Chicago-based creative agency Soulsight to execute a major rebranding effort. The official rebrand is expected to be unveiled later this year.
● The rebrand will include “a new logo with global appeal,” per a statement released today.
● “The recent growth and evolution of the NWSL has been incredible and our 10th anniversary season is the perfect time to launch a new brand identity that strengthens our purpose, excites our fans and more fully represents the extraordinary players in our league,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said in the statement.
● Soulsight is currently working with stakeholders to conduct in-depth research to shape the brand strategy, with a primary objective of improving the league’s global image and supporting its future growth.
● “Soulsight is honored to collaborate with the National Women’s Soccer League to develop an identity that will better connect the NWSL with its fans and reflect the organization’s diverse values,” Jessica Feld, senior vice president of brand partnerships at Soulsight, said in the statement.
Why it matters
● While many other professional sports leagues around the world struggled to attract eyes during pandemic-induced lockdowns, the NWSL, which is North America’s top professional women’s soccer league, fared quite well comparatively: viewership rose an astounding 493% in 2020. A recent partnership with CBS helped the league hit record viewership numbers on seven games last year. The rebrand could help the league capitalize on this momentum and expand its global reach.
● While the Champions League final is consistently the most-viewed annual sports event and European soccer leagues garner more attention, more views and more dollars than either NWSL or Major League Soccer — North America’s preeminent men’s pro league — interest in US soccer is growing both domestically and overseas at a steady pace.
● The NWSL’s rebranding decision — aimed at reaching a wider audience around the world — comes amid a number of decisions by top sports leagues, teams and brands to position their causes as more inclusive and diverse.