The Soccer Show, starring Haley Kopmeyer and David Copeland-Smith, debuts Wednesday, March 10 on YouTube

March 5, 2021 – Ata Football and Just Women’s Sports — two growing women’s sports platforms launched in 2020 — today announced a partnership to further enhance exposure and engagement for women’s soccer through exclusive premium content. 

Building upon the success of its Just Women’s Sports podcast, Just Women’s Sports will utilize premium content from Ata Football to produce The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind weekly highlights-driven show exclusively covering the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL). Hosted by former professional soccer player Haley Kopmeyer and elite trainer David Copeland-Smith, each episode will provide in-depth coverage including news, highlights and analysis. The Soccer Show premieres on Wednesday, March 10, with the inaugural episode set to feature coverage of matches featuring top-ranked teams including Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. New episodes post each Wednesday on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube page and the Ata Football platform. 

Just Women’s Sports is a new sports media platform 100% dedicated to covering women’s sports exclusively. Founded by former professional soccer player Haley Rosen, Just Women’s Sports provides news and analysis of women’s sports through exclusive interviews, podcasts, videos and other content. Best known for its flagship podcast, Just Women’s Sports with Kelley O’Hara, Just Women’s Sports has quickly grown a passionate audience of more than one million fans, followers and listeners. 

“At Just Women’s Sports, we’re dedicated to covering women’s sports with the passion, intensity and commitment to storytelling that professional athletes deserve,” said Rosen. “We’re thrilled to partner with Ata Football – a company that shares our mission to elevate women’s sports – and to show what we’re capable of producing when given access to exclusive premium content.”

Founded by former Sky executive Hannah Brown and former professional soccer player and coach Esmeralda Negron, Ata Football is the preeminent home for women’s soccer on the Web and is the exclusive rights holder for matches from the FA Women’s Super League. Live and on-demand matches are distributed in the U.S. with broadcast partner NBC Sports and are available on Atafootball.com.

“We’re focused on continuing to become the go-to destination for women’s soccer globally and the epicenter of a community that inspires the next generation of girls,” said Negron. “Our partnership with Just Women’s Sports to produce and distribute The Soccer Show is another great step on that journey.”

Kopmeyer is best known for her time as goalkeeper for Seattle Reign FC and the Orlando Pride of the NWSL. A University of Michigan graduate, Kopmeyer also played for the Brisbane Roar and the Canberra United of the W-League in Australia. Copeland-Smith is the founder of Beast Mode Soccer, and has trained some of the world’s best players, including Alex Morgan, Rachel Daly, Kristie Mewis and Allie Long.

The Soccer Show will be produced by Blue Duck Media, led by showrunner and sports industry veteran Ashley Braband, who most recently was the force behind the scenes and on the mic at ESPN’s Sports? with Katie Nolan. Over 13 years at ESPN, she produced TV shows like SportsNation and Colin’s New Football Show, and helped develop and launch various digital shows for ESPN’s social channels, before serving in her latest role as showrunner of Always Late with Katie Nolan.

Fans can sign up for updates on new episodes of The Soccer Show here. 

MEDIA CONTACT

Jeff Heckelman, 631-312-7327, [email protected] 

About Just Women’s Sports Inc.

Established in 2020, Just Women’s Sports Inc. is a digital-first consumer media brand 100% dedicated to covering women’s sports. Through daily content including podcasts, newsletters, online content and social media, Just Women’s Sports brings you everything you need to see and know in the world of women’s sports. Find Just Women’s Sports online and on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook. 

About Ata Football

Ata Football facilitates access to the very best women’s football for fans, broadcasters, sponsors, publishers and influencers. Our broad partnerships with premium distributors, combined with unparalleled grassroots and elite player engagement, accelerate engagement and drive value for everyone connected with the game. Everything we do helps to create a virtuous cycle of investment and improvement that enables women’s football to shine its brightest – now and for generations of young female footballers to come. For more information, visit www.atafootball.com.  

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.