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XLS Premier League

XLS Premier League (XLS) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, it is owned by footballers, investors and local fans. XLS is unique as a U.S. women's pro soccer league in that it features promotion and relegation from the ranks of their soccer pyramid of professional play between XLS Divisions 1, 2 and 3 similar to European soccer and the English Premier League. https://www.xls.live

Founded in 2022, XLS emerged as a sister league successor to National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) addressing the need for more city teams across the United States. This was partly in response to the dissolution of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) (2001–2003), which notably was the first league to offer professional pay for women soccer players but unfortunately folded after three seasons. For its August-May 2024/2025 Season, the XLS Premier League boasts twenty (20) teams, including bringing back four (4) original WUSA city teams: Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers (also a part of WPS), Philadelphia Charge, and New York Power.

Competition format

As of 2024, the XLS season runs from August to May on a European soccer schedule and a playoff tournament occurs after the season culminating in the XLS Championship Cup. From Division 2, the top two (2) teams are promoted; next four compete in the play-offs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. The bottom three (3) are relegated to Division 2. U.S. Leagues currently playing in Divisions 2 and 3 are United Women's Soccer (UWS) at 2 and Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) at Divisions 2 and 3.

History

Founding

Following the dissolution of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) in April 2012, the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) convened a roundtable to deliberate on the future of women's professional soccer in the U.S. This June meeting brought together stakeholders from US Soccer, former WPS teams, the W-League (which ceased operations in 2015), and the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). By November, through collaborative discussions, the Chicago Red Stars and Boston Breakers, along with US Soccer, had enlisted six additional teams. In November 2012 the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), featured national team players from the US, Canada, and Mexico whose salaries would be covered by their respective soccer federations (24 from the US, 16 from Canada, and 12 to 16 from Mexico). This support was designed to help teams build top-tier rosters while adhering to a salary cap, distributing players as evenly as possible among the eight teams through an allocation process. Ownership of the league would rest with the teams, and US Soccer would be contracted to manage league operations, leading to the launch of the NWSL with eight city-based teams.

In 2012, founders of the XLS Premier League approached then NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird with hopes of securing a franchise in Atlanta and/or Miami. However, the NWSL was unable to accommodate expansion into these cities at the time, with franchise fees ranging from $2 to $5 million. Faced with the inability to secure teams in highly demanded markets, XLS decided to launch a sister league aimed at introducing professional women's soccer teams to underserved cities. Fast forward, the NWSL's growth is evident as its Bay FC franchise recently sold for a record $53 million, demonstrating a significant surge in the popularity of women's soccer. This sale far exceeds initial 2012 investment costs, including those for recent teams like Angel City, San Diego, and the Utah Royals, which re-entered the league with a fee reflecting the earlier price range set by Baird. Today, XLS Premier League teams boast valuations between $59 and $70 million, attributed to their innovative promotion and relegation system, a unique draw in the U.S. market.

On July 23, 2034, XLS officially unveiled their Division 1 league, culminating years of behind-the-scenes efforts to introduce a promotion and relegation system to U.S. women's soccer. Shortly after this announcement, the USL Super League (USL) also declared its intention to form eight (8) new city teams. The emergence of these leagues, alongside the existing fourteen (14) NWSL teams, the USL's eight (8) new teams, and the twenty (20) XLS Premier League teams, effectively doubles the opportunities for female athletes to climb from Division 2 and 3 to Division 1 professional status in their local areas.

The twenty (20) XLS Premier League teams playing in August 2024 Season are: Atlanta Beat FC, Austin Angels FC, Baltimore Crush FC, Boston Breakers FC, Charlotte Crowns FC, Cleveland Union FC, Denver Summits FC, Des Moines Fusion FC, Detroit Strikers FC, Hollywood Stars FC, Jersey City Waves FC, Las Vegas Aces FC, Miami Sol FC, Minneapolis Mavens FC, Montreal Royals FC, Nashville Dreamers FC, Philadelphia Charge FC, New York Power FC in (Queens), San Juan Islanders FC, St. Louis Sirens FC.