The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) unveiled its long-awaited 2017 broadcast schedule on Lifetime in a package that includes 22 regular-season matches, both playoff semifinal games, and the NWSL Championship game.
Seattle Reign FC will feature in four regular season matches, including a home match in August against rivals Portland Thorns FC.
- Saturday, May 27: Houston Dash v. Seattle Reign FC
- Saturday, July 8: North Carolina Courage v. Seattle Reign FC
- Saturday, August 26: Seattle Reign FC v. Portland Thorns FC
- Saturday, September 9: Orlando Pride v. Seattle Reign FC
The NWSL Game of the Week will air every Saturday on Lifetime and be available for live and on-demand streaming via the Lifetime iOS and Android apps and online at MyLifetime.com. Fans outside of the United States can also watch live via NWSLsoccer.com.
Aside from the opening week, all matches will begin with a 30-minute pregame show at 12:30 p.m. PT, with games kicking off at 1:00 p.m. PT. Lifetime has brought in a group of experienced broadcasters to host and contribute to the pregame and oversee match coverage: Jenn Hildreth, Aly Wagner, Kate Markgraf, and Dalen Cuff.
- Hildreth will serve as play-by-play announcer. She is a seasoned broadcaster who covered the 2015 Women’s World Cup for FOX Sports, college soccer on ESPN, and the 2015 and 2016 NWSL Championship games.
- Wagner, a former U.S. Women’s National Team player, will be the main analyst. Wagner, who works at FOX Sports on USWNT games, also served as an analyst for the 2017 NWSL Draft and covered the 2015 World Cup.
- Markgraf, another USWNT star, will be the pregame host. An analyst for NBC, Markgraf was a member of NBC’s Olympic soccer coverage in 2012 and 2016. She became the first woman analyst to work a major men’s soccer tournament that aired in the United States, during ESPN’s coverage of UEFA Euro 2016.
- Cuff will co-host the pregame show and serve as a sideline reporter. Cuff covered MLS and the New England Revolution at Comcast SportsNet New England, is currently a college basketball analyst for ESPN, and was part of NBC’s Olympics coverage.
While fans can now plan out their TV schedule for the 2017 NWSL season, they’ll have to wait a little longer for details on how to stream the matches that don’t air on Lifetime each week. Those plans are still in the works by A+E Networks and the NWSL.
A full 2017 NWSL broadcast schedule is below. For those who are curious, all 10 teams will have at least one match on Lifetime. The teams who will appear on TV the most are Houston and Orlando, with seven matches, followed by Portland and Chicago with six.
That includes five home matches airing on Lifetime for Portland and Orlando, and four home games for the North Carolina Courage. Boston, Washington, and Kansas City are the three teams without a home broadcast this year.
2017 NWSL Broadcast Schedule
Date | Pregame (PT) | Kickoff (PT) | Home Team | Visiting Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Pregame (PT) | Kickoff (PT) | Home Team | Visiting Team |
Saturday, April 15, 2017 | 11:30 AM | 12:00 PM | Portland Thorns FC | Orlando Pride |
Saturday, April 22, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Orlando Pride | Washington Spirit |
Saturday, April 29, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Portland Thorns FC | Chicago Red Stars |
Saturday, May 06, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Chicago Red Stars | Houston Dash |
Saturday, May 13, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Houston Dash | Sky Blue FC |
Saturday, May 20, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Sky Blue FC | Houston Dash |
Saturday, May 27, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Houston Dash | Seattle Reign FC |
Saturday, June 03, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | North Carolina Courage | FC Kansas City |
Saturday, June 17, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Chicago Red Stars | Washington Spirit |
Saturday, June 24, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Orlando Pride | Houston Dash |
Saturday, July 01, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | North Carolina Courage | Sky Blue FC |
Saturday, July 08, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | North Carolina Courage | Seattle Reign FC |
Saturday, July 15, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Portland Thorns FC | North Carolina Courage |
Saturday, July 22, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Chicago Red Stars | Orlando Pride |
Saturday, August 05, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Portland Thorns FC | Houston Dash |
Saturday, August 12, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Orlando Pride | Sky Blue FC |
Saturday, August 19, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | North Carolina Courage | Washington Spirit |
Saturday, August 26, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Seattle Reign FC | Portland Thorns FC |
Saturday, September 02, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Orlando Pride | Boston Breakers |
Saturday, September 09, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Orlando Pride | Seattle Reign FC |
Saturday, September 23, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Houston Dash | Chicago Red Stars |
Saturday, September 30, 2017 | 12:30 PM | 1:00 PM | Portland Thorns FC | Chicago Red Stars |