CINCINNATI — A new professional women’s sports team could soon call Ohio home.
Both Cincinnati and Cleveland have placed a bid to have the newest soccer team in the NWSL.
What You Need To Know
- Both Cincinnati and Cleveland have submitted bids to have the next NWSL team
- For soccer supporters in Cincinnati, they hope the increased success by FC Cincinnati and the world-class stadium helps them get the bid
- In Cleveland, the plan would be to build a stadium downtown and use Notre Dame College's campus existing fields to build out a training facility and headquarters
- The team would start in the 2026 season and the cities should find out by the end of the year
Kristi Kivi knows what soccer fans want when they watch a game.
“Scarves, scarves are our big one," Kivi said.
The Maryland native now calls Cincinnati home and has dove headfirst into the soccer community, involved in supporter groups for FC Cincinnati and the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams.
She's supporting the U.S. Women’s soccer team as they take on the Olympics. Kivi played soccer from a young age.
“Abby Wambach was the player- like I want to be like her," Kivi said.
Now, Kivi is hoping young girls have much better access to seeing players like Wambach.
“To see, like, Mia Hamm at soccer camps that I went to and grow up and watch games where Abby Wambach played and iconic players like that," she said. "And having it become so much more accessible than it was back then is would be so cool to see.”
Which is why she’s been supportive of FC Cincinnati’s bid to get the next NWSL team to the Queen City.
“It always kind of seemed like maybe way in the future we'll get it one day and then something just kind of switch," she said. "And I feel like everyone could see that Cincinnati itself, as a soccer city, was being taken more seriously. We were getting more USA games. FC Cincinnati was really taking off. I think people started to realize that the soccer culture here is so huge and that it's not just a pipe dream, it's a huge possibility.”
Between growing success for FCC, a world-renowned stadium and more and more U.S. games being played here, Kivi thinks Cincinnati has a chance to get the team.
“Earlier this year we heard that we were a front-runner for putting in a bid," Kivi said. "So I think the excitement behind that has been huge.”
The cherry on top? U.S. Women’s National star and Cincinnati native Rose Lavelle has become a champion for the city and its ability to host more high-profile soccer games. Kivi thinks that could play in their favor.
“It would be incredible," she said. "She’s such a good representative of this city. She has so much Cincinnati pride and I think that’s so cool to see.”
While the timetable isn’t clear yet fans will have to just sit back and watch women’s soccer from the bar across the street from TQL Stadium in the meantime.
Along with Cincinnati, Cleveland has also put in a bid for the NWSL team, which would start in 2026. Cleveland’s biggest hurdle is developing a stadium and training grounds for the team.
The Cleveland Soccer Group said they are exploring a training facility and team headquarters at the recently closed Notre Dame College campus, where existing fields would be utilized and more would be built.
They’re looking at a stadium site across from Progressive Field to serve as a bookend for the Gateway District. The cities should find out by the end of the year which one wins the bid.