Women’s soccer team coming to Breese Stevens Field

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – After years of discussion, Madison is getting a women’s soccer team. 

Next year, Madison will be home to a pre-professional team in the USL W league. It’ll be owned by Big Top Events, which also owns Forward Madison FC. 

Big Top chief Operating Officer Conor Caloia said when they started Forward Madison in 2018, they wanted a women’s team too. 

“We knew we wanted to do women’s soccer at Breese Stevens Field eventually,” Caloia said. “In the pandemic when we were bored, all kind of stuck in our basements, we built this women’s soccer supporters group to start having conversations with our women’s soccer supporters here in Madison to guide us. Most recently, we’ve landed on doing USL W league as the right entry point.” 

In 2023, Big Top leaders announced they’d be bringing a women’s pro league team to Madison. However, that plan required extensive renovations to Breese Stevens Field that haven’t happened. 

Instead, they chose the USL W league, which has 90 teams across the country. The teams are often made up of collegiate players, and players working toward the pros. It can be equated to the Madison Mallards in the Northwoods League. 

Forward Madison FC is a relatively new team, but it was quickly embraced by the Madison community. People of all ages wear the team’s jerseys, and specialty kits often sell out. One apartment building just off the Beltline bears a big flamingo on the roof. 

Caloia wants to see the same attention and love for the new women’s team. 

“I’ve got an 11-year-old daughter [who’s] a soccer player as well. It’s been great, we’ve had a successful men’s team. But we needed to have something for a women’s team. Something to allow young girls to see their future out on the field,” Caloia said. “The best women’s soccer is played here in the US.” 

In just the first two or three days since Big Top announced the USL W league team, Caloia said they’ve gotten at least 500 security deposits for season tickets. 

The team doesn’t have a name or crest yet. The folks at Big Top Events want to hear from the community, and are asking for submissions. To give your input on a name, team colors or crest, visit the USL W website.

Soon they’ll start to narrow them down with community focus groups.