Soccer fans: mark your calendars for Saturday, March 30, for what should be a special night at PayPal Park.
Bay FC, the Bay Area’s expansion franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), announced its full season schedule on Thursday.
The team has already begun preseason training in Santa Barbara as it looks to prepare for a 26-game campaign that will kick off on the road against Angel City FC in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 16.
After a date with the Washington Spirit on the road on Saturday, March 23, Bay FC will return to its training facility at San Jose State ahead to prepare for its inaugural home match March 30 against the Houston Dash at PayPal Park, also the home of the San Jose Earthquakes.
Individual game tickets are not on sale, but season ticket deposits can be made on Bay FC’s website.
“It’s going to be one hell of a team,” general manager Lucy Rushton said Monday at Bay FC’s media day. “We’re going to be really competitive.”
Bay FC will play 13 home games, most of them on the weekends, from March 30 until its final home game on Oct. 19.
Eight of the league’s 14 teams will qualify for the postseason, which begins Nov. 9.
The long season features about one game a week with a long break from July 8 through Aug. 18 while the Paris 2024 Olympics are taking place. During the break, the NWSL will organize a tournament featuring all 14 clubs beginning on July 19.
The promotional schedule for Bay FC’s home games have yet to be released but the club said it plans to host Asian American Heritage Night, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Night, Pride Night, Juneteenth Night, Latino Heritage Night and more.
All Bay FC matches can be streamed online. The NWSL recently signed a four-year media rights agreement with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports. Each regular season weekend will begin with Friday night matches on Prime Video.
All games not on one of those four networks will be available on NWSL+, a free streaming service.
“We have a lot of potential to be really great,” said Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya. “It’s our time to grind, gain some chemistry and see what we’re about. I’m really excited to see where that takes us.”
