After three years in the making, former Olympic gold medalists Leslie Osborne, Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner met on The Presidio’s main parade lawn for “FC Day for the Bay.” The event celebrated the founding of the Bay Area’s first professional women’s soccer team – Bay FC.
The former soccer stars gathered last Saturday to fundraise for the newly formed team. Attendees were encouraged to do so by supporting future games, and buying club merchandise.
From youth leagues to college soccer programs, World Cup winner Leslie Osborne described the addition of a Bay Area team to the National Women's Soccer League as “much needed.”
So far, support has been encouraging. More than 40 percent of the US women's national team has ties to the Bay Area, making Bay FC the next potential hotbed for youth development and professional soccer in the nation.
Bay FC’s next steps are to finish building the team’s roster, and find a potential stadium to call their home. Club investor Sheryl Sandberg – a former top executive with Meta– said she is hopeful for the future. She considers Bay FC a win for girls, women, and sports in the Bay.
