+244% Increase in Daily Page views Among Many Highlights

August 10, 2021 — Just Women’s Sports, the fastest growing media platform for women’s sports, delivered on its promise in a big way while covering its first Olympic Games, generating massive increases in website traffic and social media engagement.

In all, Just Women’s Sports posted nearly 400 original articles throughout the Olympic Games, including profiles, news, results, and analysis, resulting in a +244% increase in daily page views for its website. In addition, JWS saw a +218% increase in engagement on Instagram and +106% on Twitter while adding 10,000 new followers across Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. Notably, more than 40% of the site’s traffic during the Olympics came from search engines, indicating that Just Women’s Sports was creating content for which fans were actively looking.

In addition to its news and analysis of the Olympics, Just Women’s Sports constantly kept its viewer guide updated so fans knew exactly when and where to watch the action, while also creating original video content including its Best Seat in the House series, which brought fans exclusive access inside the homes of the families of Allisha Gray, Chelsea Gray, Megan Rapinoe and A’ja Wilson as they watched their loved ones compete on the world’s biggest stage.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how our team stepped up and worked literally around the clock to cover its first Olympics. But it’s now our goal to make sure fans don’t have to wait another four years to hear about these amazing female athletes,” said Haley Rosen, CEO and Founder of Just Women’s Sports. “For us, the end of the Olympics means it’s now time to get pumped about the WNBA and NWSL playoffs, the Paralympics, the US Open and all the other great women’s sports content on the horizon. And we’re going to continue to follow all the great athletes that just became household names in Tokyo.”

Launched in 2020 by Rosen, Just Women’s Sports provides news and analysis of women’s sports through exclusive interviews, podcasts, videos, and other media content, and has quickly grown a passionate audience of fans, followers, and listeners. In addition to its Just Women’s Sports podcast hosted by USWNT star Kelley O’Hara, JWS recently launched Snacks, a podcast co-hosted by USWNT stars Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams, and is home to Tea with A & Phee, the popular podcast hosted by 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier. Earlier this year, JWS also featured Off the Ball hosted by Olympian and NWSL star Ali Riley, and also created The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind digital weekly highlights-driven show covering the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) through an exclusive premium content partnership with Ata Football.

In May, Just Women’s Sports announced it had raised $3.5 million in seed funding, led by Will Ventures with participation from Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures, Drive by DraftKings, OVO Fund, Supernode Global as well as an all-star roster of women’s sports superstars including Elena Delle Donne, Hilary Knight, Sam Mewis, Kelley O’Hara and Arike Ogunbowale.

MEDIA CONTACT

Rachel Zuckerman, 610-724-5078, [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, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

Former Chicago Sky guard Allie Quigley made her retirement official on Tuesday, announcing her exit from professional basketball in a piece for The Players Tribune, nearly three years after her final WNBA game in September 2022.

The 14-year league veteran spent the last decade of her career playing for her hometown team, helping lead the Sky to a WNBA championship in 2021 while also picking up three All-Star nods and two WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year awards.

With a career average of 10.9 points per game and 39.4% shooting from beyond the arc, Quigley also claimed four 3-Point Contest victories, winning in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022 to set a record that still stands across the WNBA and NBA.

Chicago's all-time leading scorer for years, Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot — Quigley's wife — usurped her crown just two weeks ago.

"I love knowing that I can look back on my career and say it was really, really good — but it was part of the beginning of something truly great," Quigley wrote.

Explaining that she "never actually meant to do an Irish goodbye," Quigley initially took time off to become a mom, a process that took longer than expected.

Alongside Vandersloot, Quigley welcomed their first child, daughter Jana Christine, on April 8th — an event that spurred her to officially announce her retirement.

"[A]s special as the Sky winning a championship felt, and as proud of a moment as that was, bringing a baby into the world is our accomplishment we're most proud of," said Quigley.

On Tuesday, 2024/25 UEFA Champions League winners Arsenal announced that the Gunners are making the 60,704-capacity Emirates Stadium their permanent home for all WSL matches on the heels of last season's successful nine-game run in the north London venue.

Arsenal dominated the WSL in attendance during their 2024/25 campaign with a total of 415,000 tickets sold, a 20% increase over the Gunners' 2023/24 season.

Even more, the club averaged crowds of over 34,000 fans for the team's nine matches hosted at the men's side's historic Highbury home.

Both Arsenal's and the league's season-high attendance came in February, when 56,784 fans packed Emirates for the Gunners' North London Derby match against Tottenham.

While all of Arsenal's 11 WSL home games will kick off at Emirates, the reigning European champs will open their UWCL defense at the significantly smaller, 4,500-capacity Meadow Park, with future Champions League matches moving to Highbury should the Gunners advance to the tournament's knockout rounds.

"For us, this is just the beginning, and bringing every WSL match to the Emirates is another step for more supporters to be part of this special journey," said Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers in a club statement. "We'll come back next season, with fire in our hearts, more determined, more ambitious, and more together than ever."

Women's teams are big business, with global sports business conference SPOBIS International reporting this week that average WNBA franchise valuations rose to $90 million in 2024, while NWSL clubs weighed in at $104 million — doubling their 2023 mark.

In May, the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty sold shares at a $450 million valuation, qualifying them as the world's most valuable women's sports team.

SPOBIS's top five includes the WSL's Chelsea FC ($326 million) alongside NWSL side Angel City FC ($250 million), the WNBA's Dallas Wings ($208 million), the Kansas City Current ($182 million), and the Las Vegas Aces ($140 million).

US women's sports teams hold a key advantage in the race to the top of the valuations table, with WNBA and NWSL squads able operate independently from men's systems.

Having separated from their men's side last year, Chelsea FC was the only non-US team to make the list, bolstered by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's $26.6 million purchase of a 10% stake in the 2024/25 WSL champs last month.

Other European teams in line for similar value boosts include OL Lyonnes and the London City Lionesses, both independently owned and operated by Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang.

With many factors contributing to a team's overall value — namely capital, media deals, viewership, ownership structures, and popularity — it's tough to predict the next big thing in women's sports, but these numbers point to a red-hot market across major pro leagues.

US Soccer is heading back to college, announcing Tuesday that the federation is launching a NextGen College Soccer Committee (NCS) to help solidify NCAA soccer's place in the national development system.

The NCS will "aim to integrate the college game more deeply into the broader US Soccer ecosystem, while ensuring it remains a strong, sustainable platform for student-athlete education, player development, and community engagement."

As professional soccer careers become more viable on the women's side, an increasing number of prospects are opting to sign directly with clubs out of high school rather than follow the traditional collegiate track.

Skipping college to go pro is common in other countries, where many clubs run their own academies for promising young players.

To "properly consider the development pathway and progression to college soccer," US Soccer is also working with pre-professional organizations like Elite Clubs National League, Girls Academy, and other US youth leagues.

Members of the NCS include Kansas City Current co-owner Angie Long, NWSL COO Sarah Jones Simmer, and former Duke standout and current MLS executive Ali Curtis.

With Tuesday's announcement, US Soccer appears to be acknowledging the challenges of maintaining NCAA soccer's appeal in the face of increasingly diverse pro opportunities — while also doubling down on the value of the college game.

"College soccer is integral to the fabric and future of our sport in this country," said US Soccer CEO JT Batson. "The individuals joining this group bring unique perspectives and expertise that will help us build a model where college soccer can thrive in a modern, connected system."