Flash owner granted expansion franchise
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Sep 24, 2010
[WPS] Women's Professional Soccer has granted an expansion franchise to Joe Sahlen, owner of the W-League champion
Buffalo Flash, in Western New York for the 2011 season.
The Flash played its W-League games at Canisius College in Buffalo, but the WPS team whose name has yet to be confirmed will play
its games at the 4,000-seat Niagara Field on the campus of Niagara University and the 14,000-seat Rochester Rhinos Stadium.
The Sahlen family is a well-known meat producer going back six
generations. Joe Sahlen is a driver on the Grand-Am race series, and daughter Alexandra Sahlen was the Flash president
and started on defense.
Buffalo's starting lineup in the final included players representing six countries.
Canadian star Kelly Parker
moved to WPS's Sky Blue FC after the W-League season, while Spaniard Veronica Boquete was excellent for Chicago after joining the Red Stars late in the WPS
season.
As much of a fan of WPS as I am, I wonder how smart of a business move this is for the Flash ownership. Surely they will have to pay an expansion fee to join the league, a league which is losing money 2 years in a row.
How does this move affect the W-League? Will the Flash have a W-league team still, similar to the Freedom Futures?
I dont think there is an expansion fee in WPS. But I think the more salient point is that WPS barely has a pulse and it's a shame. I'd rather have any and all money invested in the W-league poured into WPS. If WPS dies, we will not see the USA win a world cup for a long time IMHO