NWSL Consulted Players With Kids When Developing Challenge Cup Tournament
Jun 7, 2020, 9:28 PM | Updated: Apr 26, 2021, 3:53 pm
Royals players celebrate after a goal by Utah Royals FC forward Christen Press (23) as the Salt Lake Royals and Sky Blue FC play at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) consulted their players with kids when they started developing the summer tournament in Utah.
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According to the Associated Press, the NWSL consulted players who have children when they were devising plans for the summer tournament in Utah. They reached out to the moms in the league, which is a handful of players with children. The players are asked to travel to Utah and be sequestered for more than a month during a global pandemic.
The moms made sure that they would be able to take caretakers for their kids with them and stay with them in a complex of hotels and dormitories.
"I was delighted to see everyone." pic.twitter.com/WXhZ5zG2Ma
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 6, 2020
The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup will be hosted by Utah Royals FC beginning June 27 and ending on July 26. It will be the first time the league returns to the pitch following the 2019 Championship game.
All teams will be segregated to their own housing and living arrangements, family members will be allowed to join. No spectators will be in attendance for any of the games.
During a tournament draw hosted by the NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird, the teams were randomly selected and seeded.
- Chicago Red Stars
- Washington Spirit
- Houston Dash
- Utah Royals FC
- North Carolina Courage
- New Jersey Sky Blue
- Portland Thorns
- OL Reign
- Orlando Pride
Counting down the days
🗓️ https://t.co/FfXgpxXJH5 pic.twitter.com/YsdePj9hz8
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 1, 2020
The first round of the preliminary games has been announced and will take place over three days, June 27, June 30, and July 1.
Utah Royals FC will play Washington Spirit during the second day of matches. The Royals and Spirit will face off on Tuesday, June 30th.
Each team will play four preliminary-round games, the remaining three games for the Utah Royals will be announced at a later date. The top four teams from the preliminary stages will advance to the knockout stage.
