Fort Lauderdale United FC, a professional women’s soccer league, is partnering with NSU to bring professional soccer to campus in August 2024. The team is led by local business owner Tommy Smith, with plans in place to modernize the former Miami Dolphins practice facility into a stadium featuring on-site training facilities at NSU.
The United Soccer League Super League sits at the same level as the National Women’s Soccer League, and provides athletic opportunities for young women through a youth-to-pro women’s pathway, as well as introducing career opportunities to students interested in the sports industry.
“Looking five years from now, I see this as being one of the most competitive leagues in the world,” said Deon Graham, co-founder and CEO for Fort Lauderdale United FC. “This is perfect timing in the soccer industry.”
The inaugural 2024 season will feature eight teams from different areas in the country with additional teams set to join in subsequent seasons. The league will play on the “fall-to-summer” soccer calendar traditionally followed around the world.
When searching for partnership opportunities in Fort Lauderdale, NSU stood out for Smith and Graham.
“Our daughters, mine and Tommy’s, attend Nova high school so it all started with a competitive high school team getting a lay of the land at NSU and we suddenly came upon the beautiful facility that the dolphins left,” Graham said. “NSU has been brilliant partners, allowing us to come in and build up the stadium.”
Harry K. Moon, NSU’s executive VP, chief operating officer and president-elect, views this as a good partnership for the university.
“We’re right at 70% female in our student population and if you look at Title IX, it is to create a parity across athlete opportunities,” Moon said. “This extends that and is a good partnership for the university.”
In terms of professional play, the league has coordinated with elite youth level soccer in South Florida to bring young women athletes into professional sports.
“We created a relationship with the bigger youth clubs where we are able to identify talent early, change the pathway of development, start to get them ready for the pro game and give them opportunities that usually stop at college,” Graham said.
Graham also wants young women to know that there’s opportunities beyond just playing soccer, as you can have a long career in sports.
“One of the biggest things for women is they haven’t been able to see their pathway,” Graham said. “You start as a little girl playing youth soccer and then you go to college but there hasn’t been a lot of opportunities to play beyond that.”
The league has been working toward creating internship opportunities and jobs open to those interested in building a career in the sports industry.
“We are in collaboration with NSU to develop an internship program to get your credits, do what you need to do academically while also getting your experience here with us,” Graham said. “Not only do the students get a firsthand look at a franchise developing on their campus, but there’s opportunities for you to work in the system from game day operations and sports management, to front office, social media, and public relations.”
Aside from athletic and career opportunities, Moon points out the benefits of this partnership from a marketing and financial perspective for NSU.
“In the simplest terms, having professional teams at our facilities from a marketing standpoint gives people a greater awareness of the university,” Moon said.
Throughout this partnership, the league will be transforming the stadium in various ways.
“Financially, it’s an investment by Mr. Smith in the university and it will improve the facilities itself from the lighting on the field, new turf, and will increase the seating capacity in the stadium from 2,000 to 7,000 seats,” Moon said. “That will open up the facility for greater use of the university for a variety of functions, be it concerts, aggregation, or perhaps even commencement celebrations.”
The league is looking forward to bringing unity in the community and has high hopes for the future.
“We’re so diverse that we want to make sure to unite the community,” Graham said. “The next three to five years of soccer in America is going to be insane and we’re right here at the tipping point.”
Moon offered advice for young women athletes.
“During my time at Tulane University, I met a fantastic female athlete, Linda Tuero, who was a female member of the men’s tennis team because she was really good and could beat most of the guys,” Moon said. “With that being said, dream your dreams and follow them, don’t take no for an answer and believe in yourself.”
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