Bringing Women’s Soccer To More Fans – NBC & Red Stars Partner
A broadcast partnership between the Chicago Red Stars and NBC Sports Chicago has been announced ahead of the NWSL club’s home opener this weekend. The Chicago Red Stars are the first women’s professional team to receive full-time coverage on NBC Sports Chicago.
Related Article: 2019 NWSL Season: Opening Weekend Recap
NWSL Soccer News: The Chicago Red Stars and NBC Sports Chicago have finalized a broadcast partnership for the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season.
NBC Sports Chicago’s first Red Stars telecast will be the club’s home opener this Saturday, April 20, at 3:30 p.m. ET against Portland Thorns FC (airing on NBC Sports Chicago+). In addition, NBC Sports Chicago subscribers can watch live streams of every match online here.
“We are very pleased to join the NBC Sports Chicago programming line-up this season and that pro women’s sports will be on television and easy to find,” said Arnim Whisler, Red Stars Owner. “Our fans will now have full coverage of the Chicago Red Stars games in this great World Cup year. This is an exciting development in the right direction for our club.”
The Red Stars join Chicago’s other professional sports clubs provided coverage by the network. NBC Sports Chicago is also the home network for the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), ChicagoBulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB) and Chicago White Sox (MLB).
“We look forward to showcasing the world class talent and excitement of the Red Stars to Chicago’s passionate soccer fan base all season long,” said Greg Bowman, Vice President of Programming/Live Event Production, NBC Sports Chicago.
The deal between the Red Stars and NBC Sports Chicago comes ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup that kicks off in June. Four members of the Red Stars are looking to represent their countries at the World Cup, including Tierna Davidson, Julie Ertz and Casey Short for the U.S. Women’s National Team and back-to-back NWSL Golden Boot winner, Sam Kerr, who will represent Australia.
Kerr has risen to international stardom in recent years as a result of her stellar performances in the U.S. and Australia. The 25-year-old also received the Golden Boot for Australia’s Westfield W-League in 2018. On Thursday, Kerr was named one of five nominees for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) annual Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
In addition to the 23 regular season matches, NBC Sports Chicago will also provide exclusive interview coverage with members of the team. The exclusive “Chalk Talk” interviews will be posted on the club’s social media platforms. In addition, behind-the-scenes access to practices and analysis of upcoming matches will be included in the coverage.
NBC Sports Chicago is supporting another group of elite professional athletes in the city. The Red Stars have advanced to the NWSL Playoffs during each of the past four seasons and now look to bring championship glory to Chicago in 2019.
Chicago’s home opener versus Portland Thorns FC will be a doubleheader with the Chicago Fire. Last weekend, the Chicago Red Stars opened the season with a 1-1 draw against defending NWSL Champions North Carolina Courage. Kerr scored her first goal of the 2019 NWSL campaign in the matchup.
For the full Chicago Red Stars schedule click here.
Header Photo Credit: ISI Photos
