Maine women’s soccer fans have a lot to be excited about
Fans from both the Maine and Boston Sports Bra franchises waive their rally towels after a Boston Legacy goal against the Portland Thorns on Aug. 9. (Linley Grosman/Staff Writer)
Last Sunday morning, I boarded a coach bus to Pawtucket, Rhode Island. My fellow passengers and I didn’t have a lot in common.
Many were current or former soccer players. Some were moms. One was in her third year of residency. One was just a big soccer fan. I don’t check any of those boxes.
The two things we shared were, first, we all had tickets to watch the Boston Legacy FC that afternoon, and second, we all love women’s sports.
Emily Lesher and Ann Freeman, left, owners of The Sports Bra Maine, a new sports bar dedicated to women’s sports and opening soon in Deering Center, talk to a bus full of fans before heading to Rhode Island. (Staff photo/ Derek Davis) Purchase this image
On March 14, in front of over 30,000 fans at Gillette Stadium, the Legacy began their inaugural season in the top-tier National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL). While the team is in the bottom half of league standings, there is plenty of fan support and financial firepower behind them.
Owned by the Boston Unity Soccer Partners, the all-female group has famous investors like Aly Raisman, Elizabeth Banks and Brad Stevens, who are excited to boost the team’s image throughout the region.
This includes putting over $325 million into renovating White Stadium to be the Legacy’s permanent home, and an additional $27 million for a state-of-the-art training facility in Brockton.
Advertisement
On a local level, the Portland Hearts of Pine were granted a preprofessional USL W team that will start playing in May. All 5,000 season ticket deposits sold out in less than an hour. The team will play six home games in the regular season, with up to two playoff games at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
In sections 119 and 120, two support groups will be drumming up the energy, both literally and figuratively. Olivia Briggs is the co-chair of The Halyard, a fan base that is rooted in eight core values ranging from cultural respect to continued education.
“Soccer is so much about the community, and if we don’t nurture that community, then I don’t know where we would be,” Briggs said. “We can’t leave people out of this community. Everyone should be included, and we strongly believe that.”
Related
Portland women’s soccer team sells out 5,000 season ticket deposits
Bryan Willet is the marketing and communications chairperson for the Lightkeepers Support Group. Just like the Hearts’ men, the USL W team will be cheered on all season with the help of the Valentine Band, which includes Willet on the snare drum.
“I love bringing smiles to the faces of those around us in the supporter section. I love causing so much noise and chaos that when we start chanting, the coaches can’t be heard by the players,” Willet said. “We want to bring that noise, that energy, that feeling, that intimidation to the USL W games.”
The Valentine Band performs to a full stadium during the Portland Hearts of Pine soccer game against AV Alta FC on July 2 in Portland. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
For those who didn’t snag a coveted ticket for the USLW team, The Sports Bra Maine will be showing all of their games and more. Ann Freeman and co-owner Emily Lesher started the process of franchising a Sports Bra location in early 2025.
Advertisement
“I feel like there’s been a lot of serendipity, like it’s just meant to be,” Freeman said. “For (The Hearts of Pine) to announce that they’re bringing a women’s team to Portland at the same time that we are opening The Sports Bra, I couldn’t have written the script better.”
Ahead of the bar opening in late November, The Sports Bra has been hosting watch parties for NSWL and PWHL games at breweries in the area, but Freeman wanted to take the party to the games themselves.
Related
Women’s sports bar coming to Maine
After chatting with the owners of The Sports Bra Boston, all the pieces fell into place for the two franchises to take buses down to Pawtucket on August 9 to watch the Boston Legacy FC versus the Portland Thorns.
That afternoon, Section 133 of Centreville Bank Stadium was full of passionate fans waving their custom bright pink rally towels – some new to watching soccer and some who had waited a long time to have a professional women’s soccer team back in New England.
Fans organized through The Sports Bra Maine gather on the field after watching the Boston Legacy FC play the Portland Thorns in Rhode Island on Aug. 9. (Courtesy of The Sports Bra Maine)
On the bus, Mindi Moran and I chatted about all things women’s soccer as she sported her rainbow-crested Legacy shirt. Growing up in Maine, she told me, the closest professional women’s team was the Boston Breakers, but after the team dissolved in 2018, it left a gaping hole in the New England women’s sports scene.
I went into last Sunday a lover of women’s sports, but a very casual fan. I’ve been a competitive athlete my whole life and will always choose to watch live sports over scripted television, but the NWSL, and soccer as a whole, is my big blind spot.
When the Legacy scored their first goal of the game, I saw nearly all 10,222 fans get on their feet in jubilation. I saw little girls with streaks of glitter in their hair, jumping up and down in excitement next to their parents. Despite my best efforts to be an unbiased reporter, I couldn’t resist getting up and clapping along to the goal song.
The Thorns’ offense ended up being too strong for the Legacy, and the visitors won 4-3. After the final whistle blew, I turned to Moran, who was still celebrating like she won the lottery, which is what it must have felt like to cheer for the team she’s waited a decade for.
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: soccer, women's soccer
Linley Grosman is a rising junior at Bowdoin College, where she served as the sports editor for The Orient. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she is assisting with the Press Herald's business and general. More by Linley Grosman
