Another Perspective on the Situation Facing the WPSL

This weekend we ran an article with one WPSL owner who was extremely disappointed in the WPSL’s approach to the cancelled 2020 season. In an effort to protect this person’s identity, the interview was posted anonymously, though we vigorously vetted the person to ensure accuracy. The league contacted us with a list of owners who they believed offered a counter to this viewpoint. In the interest of fairness, we reached out to one, John Saeger, who owns South Star FC (which operates in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area). We sent him the exact questions we use when interviewing our previous owner, though in John’s case, he didn’t want anonymity.

We aren’t picking a side in this fight, because that’s not our goal or job. However, allowing multiple voices at the table and encouraging those that whistle blow is a priority for Protagonist Soccer. So here’s a second voice of someone directly affected by the WPSL’s decisions, who sees things differently.

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So how long have you been involved with women's soccer? 

I’ve been involved in youth soccer in North Texas for roughly 20 years, had my own club (all girls) and then merged with D’Feeters (all girls). Last year was my first year with a WPSL Team. This year, I planned on fielding (2) teams as FC Dallas decided not to participate. North Texas is a hotbed for soccer, especially on the girls/women’s side. There are plenty of players who just want the opportunity to play.

How has your club been doing financially, before the pandemic?

We were doing fine. Sponsorships were heading in the right direction. We’re a 501(c)3 so 100% of our funds are applied to the players, coaching staff and playing/practice expenses. The Board (myself included) are all volunteer.

How do you get funding? What's a good year look like for your club? 

100% of our budget is from sponsorship. Our budget for just the single team was in the $75,000 range, with (2), we were looking at $100,000.

With the pandemic happening, what has your club been doing?

Not much right now. With the season cancelled, we will be having training sessions, starting soon. We’ll have camps throughout the summer for the players to participate in and also help run on the youth side.

What was your view/experience with the WPSL prior to this season?

I had 1 season (last year) that we played under my belt. I had an amazing time. We have such a great group of players and coaches. We play our home games at TCU and Coach Bell, Coach Higginbotham and all of the TCU staff are fantastic and supportive. I’m probably more disappointed than the players and coaches that we can’t play. And working with the league was great too. They are great people to work with.

Do you agree the season should be cancelled?

I don’t think they had a choice. Yes.

How did you expect the league to deal with the league fees?

Being familiar with the youth side, there are expenses which you can’t get out of. I wasn’t surprised at all when they announced what they were going to do.

When the league revealed their budget constraints, did the fact that the league funds the buyout loan (which they used to purchase the league) bother you at all?

I look at my League Fee as an investment into the league. There are things I can use (branding) that add to my brand. The WPSL is working to raise the standards for the women’s game. I get it that there are some teams are upset but I’m personally looking at the big picture and I knew the risks going in.

How could the league have done better?

I think the league handled things as well as they could of. They waited until the last possible moment to make the decision. This pandemic hurts everyone, no one is immune. It sucks!

What's the outlook for your club this year?

Our coaches are in touch with our players year around. Helping them with their fitness and getting them ready for their college season. If they don’t play this fall, there’s a possibility that the WPSL may have a “1 time” fall league and we’ll be right there.

Will you continue to play in the WPSL?

Absolutely!

An Interview with a WPSL Club Owner

When the news broke earlier this week that multiple leagues planned to keep the league fees and only offer partial credit for 2021, there was a massive uproar. For many clubs, this felt unfair. We were contacted by many owners/operators who felt ripped off and unsure how to manage their finances without income due to no matches and pulled sponsorships. One such owner from the WPSL offered to be interviewed anonymously, this is their story, but it could be the story of any one of the hundreds of clubs across the United States in dire straights.

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So how long have you been involved with women's soccer?

I coached a team for one season, but then they folded because of financial reasons and I started my own team the next year. We've played in the league over 5 years.

How has your club been doing financially, before the pandemic?

We are a non-profit that also partners with other non-profits helping to provide access and programming to underserved communities. Any "extra' money we have after our WPSL expenses go towards this end.

How do you get funding? What's a good year look like for your club?

We struggle a bit because we aren't funded by a big youth club. We solicit sponsors and also offer a few programs that help fund our WPSL team. Every single sponsor we had for 2020 pulled out before March.

With the pandemic happening, what has your club been doing?

Nothing soccer related so to speak. We have had a stay at home order since mid-March. We keep in touch over Zoom as a lot of our players are spread out.

What was your view/experience with the WPSL prior to the this season?

The new ownership has done a good job of keeping things "professional"...making sure teams maintain minimum standards, fining teams that don't, making sure teams pay fees, etc...

The league under Jerry Zanelli had a lot problems and there was no consistency in many areas including teams owing money.

Do you agree the season should be cancelled?

Absolutely

How did you expect the league to deal with the league fees?

I expected them to roll 100% of our 2020 fees paid to go towards 2021. And I expected them to cut their expenses in order to do it. If nothing else, this pandemic has proven that we are ALL capable of working from home. The $40k spent on the AGM is a frivolous expense. That meeting could be done over Zoom. It could be done at the United Soccer Coaches Convention. Also, they spend $30k on social media which last time I checked was FREE! Even if they're paying someone to write articles, that could be done by a few interns or way cheaper than that! The only person worth a salary at the WPSL is Beth Patterson the administrative assistant. She's amazing. In every other position, I know people would volunteer their time or take a break in league fees. There's a lot of great owners and coaches that care about the future of the women's game, but not at the expense of padding someone's pocket or paying off someone's loan!

When the league revealed their budget constraints, did the fact that the league funds the buyout loan (which they used to purchase the league) bother you at all?

That's what bothered me the most. Esp the fact that they listed that as a line item expense in their justification for keeping $2500 from each team. That's like buying a lake house vacation home and asking people to pay for vacation stays they didn't receive just because you have a mortgage. 

How could the league have done better?

I think we all saw this coming and I personally wish they would have made a decision to cancel earlier. They didn't do a good job of reaching out to individual teams. They reached out one time during all of this. I would have liked weekly communication. I would have liked to speak with other owners about their issues (sponsors pulling out, facility rental problems, player problems (getting internationals into the country) etc).

What's the outlook for your club this year?

We will just ride out this season of uncertainty and hopefully be back playing next year, not necessarily in the WPSL. 

Will you continue to play in the WPSL?

We are currently looking for other alternatives...alternative leagues that actually care about their clubs.

UPDATE: WPSL Confirms It Will Be Keeping Most of Club's Deposits

This story is a developing one and we expect more information as the day goes on. Please check back for updates.

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We’ve received word from a WPSL club front office that the league has announced it will be “keeping $2500 of the $3500 of entry fees and letting us credit $1000 for next season.” That came from an anonymous source, but we’re working to confirm this story with other clubs and the league. While the source wasn’t willing to go onto the record, for obvious reasons, they did mention that “people aren’t happy and it’s going to get ugly.”

While many leagues seem to be taking this approach, including the NPSL (according to this twitter post from @Apyramid_blog), it certainly comes across as tone deaf as the individual clubs are struggling to stay afloat. Even if it’s an economic reality, it will not play well in the court of public opinion and certainly not with the league’s member clubs.

UPDATE

Sean Jones, WPSL President, has confirmed that the rumor is true. He offered an explanation on the part of the league. According to Jones, “only 10% of our annual budget are variable costs directly tied to the season and we are in the 9th month of our fiscal year which began in September of 2019 which means that 75% of the budget had already been spent,” that includes payroll, rent, office expense, payroll, rent, office expense, AGM, conventions, social media, dues and license, etc. From the league perspective, there were two options:

“We could shut down the office, lay everyone off, and go “dark” until October when the 2021 fees begin to come in and give everyone a check back for $500 - $600 or we could keep the office open, continue to pay staff, and work towards continuing to provide teams that can with the ability to register players to train in the late summer, hopefully play some friendlies, and have the potential of a fall season (depending on what happens with the NCAA) all while trying to figure out how to budget for a minimum $130K reduction in revenue for the 2021 season.  We decided on option 2.”

While that may seem small consolation to member clubs, Jones did mention that two of the management team with other sources of income have given up 100% of their league salary, while the other has taken a 40% pay cut.

For Jones, and he was very adamant about this, “there are clearly NO good options.”

If you’re a WPSL club with information, shoot me an email at DanVaughn@protagonistsoccer.com or DM me on twitter. Our DMs are open.