Media Kit
Resources for media covering our bid to bring a women's professional soccer team to Cleveland.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Michael Murphy, Co-Founder & CEO
michael@clevelandsoccergroup.com
Gina Prodan Kelly, Content Director
gina@clevelandsoccergroup.com
ABOUT CLEVELAND SOCCER GROUP
Founded in 2022, the Cleveland Soccer Group (CSG) is committed to bringing professional soccer to Cleveland and using the sport as a vehicle to enrich local communities across the region. CSG will launch a new men’s professional soccer team in Cleveland that will play in MLS NEXT Pro. CSG is driven to make a difference by investing in the team, infrastructure and the region’s people to foster economic development, civic pride and unite fans of the sport in collaboration with Cleveland leadership and top organizations. The ownership group includes co-founders and native Clevelanders Michael Murphy and Nolan Gallagher. Murphy is also a member of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Development Council.
ABOUT THE NWSL
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is the premier women’s professional soccer league in the world featuring national team players from around the globe. The clubs are Angel City FC, Bay FC, Boston, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, NJ/NY Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave FC, Seattle Reign FC, Utah Royals FC and Washington Spirit.Get more league info.
ABOUT WOMEN'S SPORTS RIGHT NOW
Media coverage of women's sports has tripled since 2019 and are expected to generate nearly $1.3B this year. Nearly 1M watched last year's NWSL championship, and 1.1M watched the Women's Super League match featuring Chelsea vs. Liverpool. More people watched the 2023 Women's NCAA Championship than the first game of the MLB World Series.
And this year's NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in Cleveland is expected to generate $25M in economic impact for the region.
The NWSL is the fastest-growing professional sports league in the United States, and recently announced media deals with CBS Sports, ESPN, Amazon worth $240M. Media coverage and women's sports are growing because there's a demand, a drive, a love for these teams, athletes and sports.
ABOUT SOCCER IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland fans are renowned for our devotion. We show up. We bleed our team's colors. And despite our mid-market size, Cleveland is a Top 10 Pro Sports City. Cleveland is also the only top-20 sports market without a professional outdoor soccer team.
Soccer is nothing new in Cleveland. We've been playing it for generations. We've waved the flags and sung the songs of domestic and international soccer teams for decades. We've even celebrated multiple indoor league championships with the Cleveland Crunch. From cultural soccer clubs and community programs, competitive travel and nationally ranked college teams, Northeast Ohio is steeped in soccer history, talent and love for this game.
Our NWSL team will be the first professional women's soccer team in Cleveland and the only women's professional outdoor soccer team in Ohio.
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