Local women's soccer team takes year-long hiatus

Amid the sport’s surge in popularity that coincided with the United States’ drubbing of Japan in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, a local women’s soccer team finds itself on uneven footing as it ponders an uncertain future.

After five years of competition, the Madison 56ers women’s club is taking a season off from the Women’s Premier Soccer League to “reorganize,” according to a statement on the team’s website. General manager Cristian Brei said the hiatus will give the 56ers a chance to reevaluate their franchise and examine what makes the most sense going forward.

 The 56ers organization, which fields both a men’s and women’s club, cited poor attendance at home games and a roster that was too small to consistently play road games as primary reasons for the leave of absence.

 “The women’s team didn’t have enough of an impact in the community. They had very low attendance at games,” Brei said. “[Also] the lack of players. In five years, we’ve never had 25 players, which was our goal for the roster.”

 If the women’s team, which consists of players ranging in age from high school to out of college, wants to return to the field in 2016, they will have to coordinate with the league offices.

Brei hopes the WPSL adds another franchise closer to Madison, which would lessen travel costs, create local rivalries and help ensure a full roster for road games. In 2014, the closest opponent was in Chicago; the FC Milwaukee Nationals previously held this distinction before folding in 2013.

“[Players] don’t want to travel two days on the road on a bus to play one game,” Brei said. “Ninety minutes of soccer is quite a big commitment to go to St. Louis for Saturday and Sunday. If they go to Milwaukee, they’ll be gone a few hours and be back in town.”

Brei said the WPSL’s future in the Midwest will factor heavily into the decision on whether to bring the team back. When reached for comment, WPSL Commissioner Jerry Zanelli offered few remarks on the 56ers’ situation but said he expects the team to return.

Throughout the 56ers’ five years of existence, the team has posted two winning seasons and an overall record of 13-24-4. Brei called the team “competitive” but never among the ranks of the WPSL elite.

Improved quality of play could help the 56ers reinvigorate a fan base that mostly consists of players’ families and friends. Because of low attendance figures, the women’s team had stopped charging admission and instead offered a donation box at the gate.

Brei lamented the fact that the hiatus occurred during a Women’s World Cup year. FOX Sports reported that its broadcast of the championship game was the highest rated soccer game ever shown in the United States, with more than 26 million people tuning in to watch on television. However, Brei hesitated to say the United States’ championship run would have had a major effect on the attendance and roster problems that have hurt the 56ers.

“It’s bad timing from that point of view to happen in a World Cup year,” Brei said. “I’m not sure what kind of impact it would have had, but for sure there is a little bit more talk in town about the World Cup and women’s soccer in general.”

Despite a significant revival process, Brei remains optimistic that the 56ers can flourish in Madison.

“We’ll take our time and see what makes sense for next year and if we could somehow get more players, maybe promote the team better and get some people in the stands,” Brei said. “Hopefully we’ll be back.”