NWSL Releases Schedule For Historic Fifth Season

We’ve had the 2017 NWSL College Draft, the dramatic sale and relocation of the 2016 champions and the historic television deal with A&E Network. Opening weekend match-ups have also been revealed, but finally, NWSL fans have their first look at the 2017 schedule. 

Here are a few key notes from the league’s press release: 

• The season will start on April 15 and end on September 30.
•  Up from 20 matches last year, the campaign will run for 24 matches in the regular season, 12 home and 12 away. This also likely predicates the plans to expand to 12 teams next season. 
• Several midweek games from last year’s schedule have been eliminated, which helps to boost attendance. Midweek games hurt most league attendance around the world, with the exception of the UEFA Champions League. It’s great to see the league put the fans first in this regard. 
• The league will break for three FIFA international fixture dates but not the 2017 European Championship. There will be a pause in action on June 10/11, July 29/30 and September 16/17. Teams with European stars, like Portland, will have to deal with the impact unlike other clubs.

You can find the entire schedule here: NWSL 2017 Schedule  

The Saturday 4 PM ET time slot will be used as the Game of the Week featured on Lifetime channel. However, the Orlando Pride will travel to Portland to play the first Game of the Week with a 3 PM ET kickoff. 

Most weeks have multiple matches in that time slot allowing the league to select the most appealing match based on performance and table positioning as the year progresses. 

There’s even more good news for those looking for viewing options outside of the Game of the Week. A+E Networks has promised to stream all matches live on a yet to be confirmed platform, similar to last year’s YouTube content. 

A redesigned website, along with a mobile app with more functionality, will be launched prior to April 15th. 

In the meantime, be on the lookout for more roster changes, updated kits and maybe even league expansion news in the weeks ahead. Mark your calendars and get ready for another great year of NWSL action.