Utah Royals FC add 1 ESPN game on league's new national broadcast package

SANDY — Midway through the 2019 season, the National Women’s Soccer League has a national television agreement.

Don’t expect to see much of Utah Royals FC with it, though.

The league, including all nine teams, announced, in conjunction with ESPN early Thursday morning, a media rights agreement to broadcast 14 matches on the ESPN family of networks, primarily ESPNEWS with a smattering of games on ESPN2.

The NWSL championship, scheduled for Oct. 27 in Cary, North Carolina, at 1 p.m. MDT, will be broadcast on ESPN2, as well as both semifinals of the four-team playoff a week prior.

"NWSL is a global leader in women’s professional soccer, with collectively the most talented players in the world. Together with the reach of ESPN's vast network, we have the opportunity to bring more games to a broader audience across the country and world," NWSL president Amanda Duffy said in a statement. "Even in the year leading up to the Women’s World Cup, we have continued to experience tremendous growth through the support, engagement and visibility from our fans."

Utah’s match scheduled for Saturday, July 27 against North Carolina will be broadcast on ESPNEWS. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT. This is the sole broadcast featuring the Royals. The Courage will feature a league-high four times on the national broadcast package, tied with the Portland Thorns, who currently lead the NWSL by one point.

Second-place Washington Spirit will have one match broadcast by ESPN, while third-place Reign FC (which is tied with the Royals) will feature in three nationally broadcast matches.

The Houston Dash will feature three times on the ESPN family of networks, Chicago Red Stars twice and league-worst Sky Blue FC once.

Utah's other games will be simulcast on Yahoo Sports and KSL.com, while road matches will air locally on KMYU.

Related topics