Latest news with #BostonLegacyFC
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aliyah Boston announced as an investor for Boston Legacy FC ahead of their inaugural season
Aliyah Boston is building her off-court resume by becoming an investor in Boston Legacy FC. The club, set to debut in the NWSL in 2026, announced the Indiana Fever star's investment on Monday morning. Aliyah Boston is building her off-court resume by becoming an investor in Boston Legacy FC. The club, set to debut in the NWSL in 2026, announced the Indiana Fever star as an investor on Monday morning. 203 n a press release from the club, Boston said, "I'm proud to join the ownership group of the Boston Legacy." Boston, 23, moved to Massachusetts from the US Virgin Islands when she was 12 and played high school hoops at Worcester Academy, where her jersey was retired in 2024. From there, she joined the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA, won a national title in 2022 and was crowned the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2023. Advertisement 'This city helped raise me, and the support I felt here shaped so much of who I am," Boston continued. "I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to invest into a franchise that's building something special for its players, for the city, and for women's sports as a whole. And repping Boston just felt right!" Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein praised Boston's involvement in the club and suggested she would help build a winning culture in the club's foundational years. 'Aliyah's investment in our club demonstrates the strength of women's sports as our two leagues, the WNBA and NWSL, continue to grow and expand,' Epstein said. 'She is a proven winner who understands what it takes to build a championship team, and her presence in our investor group brings an invaluable athlete perspective. It's an exciting time to see professional female athletes help shape the future of global women's sports.' Advertisement Boston joins gymnast Aly Raisman, actress Elizabeth Banks, Celtics general manager Brad Stevens and his wife Tracy Stevens and the all-female group Boston Unity Soccer Partners as investors for the NWSL's 15th club. In her third year with the Fever, Boston is averaging 16.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists, playing alongside Caitlin Clark. Indiana sits third in the Eastern Conference and sixth in the WNBA with an 11-10 record.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever All-Star Aliyah Boston joins Boston Legacy FC investor group
Indiana Fever forward and NCAA champion Aliyah Boston is investing in Boston Legacy FC, the NWSL club announced Monday, joining an investment group that includes gymnast Aly Raisman, actress Elizabeth Banks and Celtics general manager Brad Stevens and his wife, Tracy. Boston, 28, fell in love with basketball in the U.S. Virgin Islands before she moved to Massachusetts when she was 12 years old and played high school basketball at Worcester Academy, where she was named Gatorade Player of the Year three times. Her No. 00 jersey was the first ever to be retired by the school. Advertisement 'I'm proud to join the ownership group of the Boston Legacy,' Boston said in a statement. 'This city helped raise me, and the support I felt here shaped so much of who I am. I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to invest into a franchise that's building something special for its players, for the city, and for women's sports as a whole. 'And yes,' she said, 'Boston repping Boston just felt right!' The South Carolina alumnae won an NCAA championship with the Gamecocks in 2022, her junior year. The following year, the Indiana Fever took her with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. Boston was named Rookie of the Year and has made the WNBA All-Star roster each season she's played professionally. Boston also played for Vinyl BC in the inaugural season of the Unrivaled basketball league. 'Aliyah's investment in our club demonstrates the strength of women's sports as our two leagues — the WNBA and NWSL — continue to grow and expand,' said Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein in a statement. Advertisement 'She is a proven winner who understands what it takes to build a championship team, and her presence in our investor group brings an invaluable athlete perspective. It's an exciting time to see professional female athletes help shape the future of global women's sports,' Epstein added. Boston's Fever teammate, Caitlin Clark, previously joined a Cincinnati-based ownership group looking to bring an NWSL expansion team to that city. The bid ultimately failed in favor of the group in Denver. The Legacy's announcement of Boston's involvement as an investor comes days after the club made striker Aïssata Traoré its second signing, contracting her through the 2028 season as the first player from Mali to compete in the NWSL. She, like their first signing Annie Karich, will play on loan until preseason begins in January. On June 25, the Legacy named Filipa Patão its inaugural head coach. Patão comes to Boston from Lisbon, where she managed the Portuguese side Benfica for five years. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Indiana Fever, WNBA, NWSL, Women's Soccer, women's sports 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NWSL releases 2026 schedule footprint, ‘proactively adjusting' to demand of Men's World Cup
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on Wednesday released an outline of its 2026 season schedule, with an emphasis on prioritizing the accommodation of an expanded 16-team league that will coincide with the men's World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada next summer. Boston, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area are World Cup host cities and also homes to NWSL teams. Boston Legacy FC, the 15th team to join the league, will begin play next year. Advertisement 'With seven of the league's 16 markets hosting World Cup programming, the NWSL is proactively adjusting its scheduling framework to accommodate expected stadium demands,' the NWSL said in a statement. 'The league remains focused on preserving competitive integrity and delivering a successful season while continuing to explore innovative scheduling and operational solutions to navigate the unique challenges of this landmark global event.' The announcement did not provide further detail about the logistics of scheduling and playing NWSL matches while the World Cup takes place, but maintained that it 'has taken proactive, early action to finalize its 2026 schedule footprint, enabling the league, its member clubs, broadcasters and partners to plan effectively for what promises to be a landmark year in global soccer.' The World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, and conclude on July 19, 2026. According to the NWSL, which released its 2026 schedule footprint shortly after kickoff of the first match of the women's Euros, there will be no official league competitions from June 1-28. For the NWSL season as a whole, the footprint included key dates for its start and end, the Challenge Cup and playoff dates. Advertisement In its first year as a 16-team league, the 2026 NWSL season will feature a 248-match schedule, which includes an eight-team playoff system. Just as it did this year, the Challenge Cup will serve as the introduction to the season on Feb. 20, 2026, between the reigning NWSL champions and the league shield winners from last season. The regular season will begin on March 13, 2026. The 30-match schedule will be carried out over 27 weeks, and 'has been formatted to avoid staging contests during FIFA windows and will include a league-wide pause in play for a CBA-mandated break,' according to the NWSL. And while Decision Day will once again be a facet of next year's campaign, it will last the whole weekend (Oct. 30-Nov. 1), not a single day. Advertisement Playoffs will start the weekend of Nov. 6, 2026, with semifinals held the weekend of Nov. 13-15. The 2026 NWSL Championship will take place on Nov. 21. For the third year, more than 120 matches will air or stream across the league's four media partners: CBS Sports, ESPN, ION (owned by Scripps) and Prime Video. Two quarterfinal matches will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, while CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video will distribute the other two. The semifinal matches will be shared by CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, and the final will air in primetime on CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ for the fifth consecutive year. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Houston Dash, OL Reign, Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, Angel City, Bay FC, NWSL 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NWSL releases 2026 schedule footprint, ‘proactively adjusting' to demand of Men's World Cup
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on Wednesday released an outline of its 2026 season schedule, with an emphasis on prioritizing the accommodation of an expanded 16-team league that will coincide with the men's World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada next summer. Boston, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area are World Cup host cities and also homes to NWSL teams. Boston Legacy FC, the 15th team to join the league, will begin play next year. Advertisement 'With seven of the league's 16 markets hosting World Cup programming, the NWSL is proactively adjusting its scheduling framework to accommodate expected stadium demands,' the NWSL said in a statement. 'The league remains focused on preserving competitive integrity and delivering a successful season while continuing to explore innovative scheduling and operational solutions to navigate the unique challenges of this landmark global event.' The announcement did not provide further detail about the logistics of scheduling and playing NWSL matches while the World Cup takes place, but maintained that it 'has taken proactive, early action to finalize its 2026 schedule footprint, enabling the league, its member clubs, broadcasters and partners to plan effectively for what promises to be a landmark year in global soccer.' The World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, and conclude on July 19, 2026. According to the NWSL, which released its 2026 schedule footprint shortly after kickoff of the first match of the women's Euros, there will be no official league competitions from June 1-28. For the NWSL season as a whole, the footprint included key dates for its start and end, the Challenge Cup and playoff dates. In its first year as a 16-team league, the 2026 NWSL season will feature a 248-match schedule, which includes an eight-team playoff system. Just as it did this year, the Challenge Cup will serve as the introduction to the season on Feb. 20, 2026, between the reigning NWSL champions and the league shield winners from last season. The regular season will begin on March 13, 2026. The 30-match schedule will be carried out over 27 weeks, and 'has been formatted to avoid staging contests during FIFA windows and will include a league-wide pause in play for a CBA-mandated break,' according to the NWSL. Advertisement And while Decision Day will once again be a facet of next year's campaign, it will last the whole weekend (Oct. 30-Nov. 1), not a single day. Playoffs will start the weekend of Nov. 6, 2026, with semifinals held the weekend of Nov. 13-15. The 2026 NWSL Championship will take place on Nov. 21. For the third year, more than 120 matches will air or stream across the league's four media partners: CBS Sports, ESPN, ION (owned by Scripps) and Prime Video. Two quarterfinal matches will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, while CBS/Paramount+ and Prime Video will distribute the other two. The semifinal matches will be shared by CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, and the final will air in primetime on CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ for the fifth consecutive year.
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Boston Legacy FC Sign Midfielder Annie Karich As First Player
Annie Karich of Boston Legacy FC poses at View Boston as she signs to join the club in Boston, MA on ... More June 23, 2025. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Bolt Creative Group After recently hiring their first head coach, Boston Legacy FC has made moves in signing their first ever player, midfielder Annie Karich. Karich is currently on loan to a Liga MX Femenil club for the remainder of 2025 and will join Boston for NWSL preseason in January. The American midfielder signed a contract through the end of the 2027 season, with an option to renew for the 2028 NWSL season. 'We're very excited to welcome Annie Karich to Boston,' said general manager Domè Guasch. 'Annie is a midfielder that brings a unique blend of technical quality and tactical awareness. In her time at SC Freiburg, she has also proved her competitiveness and maturity on the field. Annie has the potential to make a real impact in our team. We're looking forward to supporting her development within our environment.' Karich's Player Impact Karich signed her first professional contract in 2023 with Frauen-Bundesliga club SC Freiburg as a free agent. She played as a defensive midfielder for two seasons and made 36 appearances. During her time at Santa Clara, Karich was named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and was named to the First Team All-WCC and First Team All-West Region. 'I want to grow by developing my overall game as a player and by learning how to adapt again into a new city, new team, and everything, and I'm really excited to do that here in Boston,' said Karich. Free Agency Opens New Doors for Boston Legacy's Growth As the 15th franchise in the NWSL, the expansion side is building a key foundation as they are set to begin play in the 2026 NWSL season. The club announced the hiring of Filipa Patão as their first head coach. Now with the first piece of their roster set in motion, the club will continue to grow their momentum both on and off the field in their new chapter of reigniting soccer back to the city of Boston. With the Portuguese powerhouse of Patão at the helm, the club will continue building out its 22-player roster with an option of having a maximum of seven international roster spots. Alongside Boston, Denver is also building out their squad. During the one-month international break, the NWSL has announced a list of players eligible for the league's 2026 free agency period with over 100 players on the list. With the free agency window officially being open, teams are able to negotiate contract terms with any free agent. However, if a player does not receive a new offer, they then remain a free agent with their rights unassigned in the NWSL. Now with free agency on the table, both Boston and Denver now have access to more options for negotiations with free agents in the NWSL. The full list of free agents can be found here.
