The six-team Skilled Ladies’s Hockey League is launching its enlargement course of with plans so as to add as many as two franchises for the beginning of the 2025-26 season, a league govt introduced Tuesday.
Talking on the ESPNW Summit in New York, senior vp of enterprise operations Amy Scheer mentioned the league will start sending requests for proposals to a number of markets beginning as early as subsequent week, whereas additionally accepting purposes.
“[We’re] on the lookout for the best market measurement, proper fan base, proper services, proper financial alternative — so a whole lot of analysis to be executed over the following couple months,” Scheer mentioned, with out specifying which markets the league is likely to be concentrating on. “However yeah, seeking to proceed to construct the league and develop the variety of groups.”
Among the many U.S. enlargement candidates are Detroit and Pittsburgh, the place the PWHL hosted neutral-site video games throughout its inaugural season final 12 months. Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia would even be considered candidates after each have been thought of earlier than the league established groups in Boston, New York and Minnesota. Denver and Seattle are additionally thought of potential candidates.
In Canada, the place the league has groups in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, Quebec Metropolis has already introduced its intention of being a candidate for an enlargement franchise. Calgary could be a possible possibility with the town beforehand being residence to the Inferno from 2011 to 2019, earlier than the Canadian Ladies’s Hockey League folded.
Scheer additionally introduced the league plans to carry impartial web site video games in 9 markets throughout North America, and is contemplating holding an outside sport. Scheer added the league can be engaged on holding video games in Europe, with out specifying when that may occur.
The PWHL’s second season opens Nov. 30 and options an expanded schedule with every workforce enjoying 30 video games — up from 24 final 12 months. The league has but to announce the place it is impartial web site video games shall be performed.
Quebec Metropolis councilor Jackie Smith introduced earlier on Tuesday that the PWHL has agreed to play a impartial web site sport on the metropolis’s Videotron Centre on Jan. 19. The PWHL’s schedule has Ottawa enjoying Montreal on that day, with the location but to be decided.
Smith known as the event step one in Quebec Metropolis touchdown an enlargement workforce.
