Audiences in the United States will be able to enjoy a minimum of 50 matches across the NBC Sports Network, app and NBCSports.com, which will potentially reach 85 million homes.
This deal comes at a great time, given that the WSL will begin its tenth campaign when newly-promoted Aston Villa take on giants Manchester City on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET. The game will be live on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.
The opening FA WSL match will also be streamed live on global sport streaming service DAZN in Germany and Italy. DAZN will offer 44 fixtures, live and on-demand throughout the season.
FA’s broadcast and media rights lead Tom Gracey is delighted with the deal and is looking forward to the effect it will have on the league and the women’s game.
“The Barclays FA Women’s Super League continues to grow and with players from all over the world recognizing it as a place they want to be, we want fans from those countries to be able to see them throughout the season,” Gracey said. “The popularity of women’s football goes from strength to strength and this is an opportunity for a new audience to witness the skills, excitement and competitiveness that The Barclays FA Women’s Super League has to offer.”
U.S. women’s soccer fans have a lot to look forward to on Sunday and the rest of the seasons.
Manchester City reeled in USWNT stars Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle ahead of the start of the competition. Mewis recorded her first minutes of English soccer coming in as a substitute in Man City’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday’s Women’s FA Community Shield game. On the other hand, Lavelle will remain ineligible to play, having not finished the 14-day quarantine that is mandatory for Americans traveling to the UK.
Two other games will be streamed by NBC this weekend.
The biggest match of the week, Manchester United hosting Chelsea, will be streamed on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and televised on tape-delay on NBCSN at noon. Keep an eye peeled for the possibility of Manchester United announcing USWNT senior players Christen Press and Tobin Heath in the coming days.
There seems to have been significant advancements in the talks between Manchester United and USWNT players Tobin Heath & Christen Press. An announcement could even be made in the coming days. (Source: @CBSSports) pic.twitter.com/VVrTtPa8sb
— Womens Transfer News (@womenstransfer) September 2, 2020
As for Chelsea, they are favorites to win it all, boasting a deep roster with world-class players. Chicago Red Stars fans can re-live sweet memories by watching Australia’s Sam Kerr. Danish international Pernille Harder joined Chelsea for a reported transfer fee of $400,000 – the biggest in club women’s soccer history – on Tuesday after leading Wolfsburg to the UEFA Women’s Champions League final for the second time.
Arsenal taking on Reading on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. will be the last weekend game streamed on NBC.
Like Chelsea, London rival Arsenal also has an armada of stars. Dutch internationals Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk, England’s Beth Mead and Australian forward Caitlin Ford are just some of the talent that manager Joe Montemurro has at hand.
