Features

Lynn Family Stadium to stage new International Women’s Cup

Lynn Family Stadium, the new soccer-specific facility in Louisville, Kentucky, has been announced as the host of a new women’s tournament featuring clubs from the US and Europe.

The inaugural International Women’s Cup (IWC) has been scheduled for August 18 and 21, with Racing Louisville FC, which plays at Lynn Family Stadium, signed on to compete alongside fellow National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Chicago Red Stars.

Organisers said two UEFA Women’s Champions League clubs will be added in the coming weeks. The IWC is being backed by a team of soccer and entertainment professionals with experience of putting on numerous high-profile games around the world. Stakeholders intend to make Louisville an annual base for the IWC as the event expands.

“We are very excited to bring IWC to Louisville, as we believe it will become an epicentre of women’s soccer for years to come,” said IWC president Jaime Phillips. “We can’t imagine a better place to showcase the best talent in the game today while building a healthy rivalry between US teams and their competitors from around the globe.”

The SportBusiness website said the IWC will be produced by Miami-based sports event production companies Onside Entertainment and FXE Futbol, as well as player management agency Agrinzonis Management Group. Invites for the two European slots are said to have gone out to Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico de Madrid, AC Milan, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

The IWC is potentially set to become a direct rival to the established Women’s International Champions Cup, which is organised by Relevent Sports Group. SportBusiness said Relevent is exploring legal options over alleged infringements of the intellectual property of the Women’s ICC, including its structure and name.

The 15,304-capacity Lynn Family Stadium opened in July in the Butchertown Neighborhood just east of downtown Louisville.