Women's Summer Roundup
Recap of the three Alabama women's teams.
Just due to my own bandwidth, I haven't covered the women's game in Alabama, other than Legion WFC. There are three women's teams in Alabama, playing in three different summer leagues. All three teams are part of clubs that include men's teams as well, and have been operating for multiple seasons. Finally, all three teams have finished play until next year.
Birmingham Legion WFC (USLW)
Also called the Three Sparks, I covered this team throughout their season. Legion played in a very tough USL W division, and ended the season with 4W, 1D, 7L. For context, the top two teams from that division went into the playoffs and dispatched their opponents, before facing each other again. At the time of this writing, Tennessee SC has reached… So, tough results for Legion, but they were a very competitive team.
Union 10 FC (GCPL)
In addition to the Premier divsion that I have covered throughout the summer, GCPL also operates a women's division. The ten teams in that league are all currently part of clubs that inculde men's teams in various leagues (not only GCPL). Union has a robust youth program for boys and girls, and the commitment in GCPL tops the effort for both. The ladies side did not see the same kind of success that the men's team had. They finished up 2W, 1D, and 5L.
Image credit: WPSL
FC Birmingham (WPSL)
FCB fields a women's team that competes in a division with the likes of Chattanooga FC's women's team. WPSL has been around since 1998, and is the single largest women's league in the world, with more than 140 teams. The men's NPSL actually formed as an offshoot of WPSL before becoming completely independent. FC Birmingham is an example of why I'm doing this as a recap instead of weekly/regular coverage. Information and updates can be hard to find (and not very timely). Their final record for the season was 1W, 0D, and 7L.
The Future
The women's game is growing, and there are some clubs that feel like pretty obvious opportunities for expansion. ALFCS feels like the most immediate candidate, as they have a large youth program under them. North Alabama SC has a large youth program, and previously had a team in USLW (as well as USL2), and could return to that league. With the support that Dothan has experienced, I could see them taking a hard look at adding a women's team as well. And, with rumors that MLS is sniffing around a purchase of NWSL and WPSL, a spinoff from Huntsville City would make a lot of sense as well. I'll keep an eye on developments, and bring information here if and when it becomes available.