SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's new professional women's soccer team will compete at "the highest level" in the United States.
The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Tuesday the USL Super League, which includes Spokane Zephyr FC, approved the team's Division One sanctioning application. Starting this August, the Zephyr FC will compete against some of the highest-ranked professional women's soccer teams in the country.
Starting this August, Zephyr FC will join seven other professional teams from different states. To date, the USL Super League consists of:
- Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Carolina, N.C.
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Lexington, Ky.
- Tampa Bay, Fla.
- Washington, D.C.
- Spokane, Wash.
The league said at least eight more teams from across the country will join for future seasons.
“We are so proud to be one of the inaugural eight clubs to compete in this historic league,” said Janette Atkins, vice president of Spokane Zephyr FC. “We have been building our club for many months, and this launch is the next phase of our development. This is a generational movement and Spokane is at the forefront of building a new legacy for women and girls.”
Katie Harnetiaux, president and co-owner of USL Spokane, said the USL Super League will work to double the number of opportunities for women in the league, as players, coaches and administrators.
“Our focus remains on the future of opportunities for women within professional sports. This means ensuring that female coaches have a path to licensure at the highest level, players are given increased opportunities to play in this country, and women’s teams are everything but an after-thought," Harnetiaux said. "There is a lot more work to do, and I am excited that Spokane Zephyr FC is going to be at the forefront of this expanding frontier."
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated that Spokane Zephyr FC would not compete at the highest level in the United States. That was a typo and not true. This article has been updated to reflect the correct information.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
Apple TV: Search "Spokane News from KREM" in the Apple store or follow this link.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.