LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington Sporting Club is making a big announcement today that a new professional women's soccer team is coming to Lexington in 2024.
Women’s Sporting Director Michelle Rayner, says, "We've been waiting for this internally for quite some time. So, the announcement today is long overdue, but exciting for the community."
Rayner, an athlete who has played on semi-pro and professional teams around the world, says this new professional women's team is a big opportunity for Lexington. The team will be a part of the USL Super League which is a women's professional soccer league that's also starting up in 2024.
"What I like about the USL structure and the Super League as a whole is we're integrating ourselves in the international calendar. So, that runs from August through to June with a break over the winter period and that aligns ourselves with other markets in Europe for potential, hopefully potential championships and competing overseas within those markets as well. So that's exciting,” says Rayner.
Over the next year, the club will recruit players from around the U.S. and the globe, and will continue to build partnerships and sponsorships in the community. Rayner says having a women's team that's a player pathway, is a big deal to younger players.
She explains, "You know if you're a little kid now and you're excited about playing this game, you have role models at every level now, here in Lexington. So, we've done...which is very rare within the United States, to have a complete pathway from the youth game all the way through to the pros on both sides. Typically, they'll have that on the male side but now we have that on the female side."
Right now, Lexington Sporting Club is continuing work on its training complex and has plans to build a stadium that will serve the men's and women's teams. They're encouraging fans to buy tickets now to enjoy the upcoming season.
Rayner says, "What we want to see from the community within Lexington is, they've done a tremendous job in getting behind our men's pro-team, and also as a mentioned our w league team, now we want to really rally because there will be a lot of cross."
For now, women's soccer fans can continue to enjoy the pre-professional team. Its schedule is available online at www.LexSporting.com.
——————————————————————
USL Super League Quick Facts
- The USL Super League is a women’s professional soccer league beginning in 2024, with the intent to compete within the first division of women’s soccer.
- The competition schedule aligns with the women’s international soccer calendar, with the season beginning in August, taking a winter break, and ending with playoffs the following June.
- This will be the top of the female player pathway in Lexington, above the pre-professional USL W League (which is currently in-season).
- There will be 10-12 teams competing in the inaugural 2024 season, and the first announced markets are Charlotte, N.C., Dallas/Fort Worth, Lexington, Phoenix, Spokane, Wash., Tampa, Fla., Tucson, Ariz., and Washington D.C.
- Multiple expansion teams are confirmed to join the league upon completion of their stadium and infrastructure projects, including Chattanooga, Tenn., Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Madison, Wis., and Oakland, Calif.
- Season ticket deposits are open for Lexington SC through this link.
The Club is planning an in-market celebration to commemorate the Super League’s launch in the coming weeks. Fans may place season ticket deposits for $25 HERE, as well as sign-up HERE for future news notifications.
About Lexington Sporting Club
Lexington Sporting Club is a U.S. Soccer professional soccer club competing in USL League One (U.S. Soccer third division men’s professional soccer), and in USL Super League (women’s professional soccer launching in 2024). The two professional teams are the pinnacle of the soccer ecosystem in Lexington that features more than 1,400 players within its youth and academy systems. Lexington SC in the process of building the club’s formal stadium, performance center and training fields.
