Seattle Reign

Region:

Population:

Capital:

Largest city:

Number of counties:

State nickname:

State motto:

State flag:

Population density:

Urban population:

Rural population:

Population under 18:

Population over 65:

White alone:

Black or African American alone:

Hispanic or Latino:

American Indian and Alaska Native alone:

Asian alone:

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone:

Some Other Race alone:

Two or More Races:

Per capita income:

Unemployment:

Gross domestic product:

GDP percent change:

Governor:

Present constitution date:

Electoral votes:

Number of counties:

Violent crime rate:

Death penalty:

Full name of country:

Region:

Official language:

Population:

Nationality:

Land area:

Water area:

Capital:

National anthem:

National holiday:

Population growth:

Time zone:

Flag:

Motto:

Independence:

Government type:

Suffrage:

Legal system:

Team information

Inaugural season: 2013

Home field: Luman Field

Owner: Carlyle Group and Seattle Sounders

Team colors: blue, white, and gold

Overview

Seattle Reign is a professional women’s soccer club that plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in Seattle, Washington, by marketing executive Bill Predmore and his wife Teresa in 2012, the team was originally known as Seattle Reign FC before moving to Tacoma and becoming Reign FC in 2019. It ultimately transitioned into OL Reign after being purchased by French soccer organization Olympique Lyonnais (OL) Groupe in 2020. However, the team returned to its original name prior to the start of the 2024 season. Seattle Reign has played its home games at Lumen Field since 2021. Throughout its history, Seattle Reign has consistently been one of the NWSL’s most competitive teams, notably finishing as postseason runners-up in both 2014 and 2015. The team has also been home to an array of notable players, including United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) stars Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo, as well as such accomplished contributors as Jess Fishlock, Keelin Winters, and Lauren Barnes. Seattle Reign was the runner up in the 2023 NWSL Championship, losing 2-1 to NJ/NY Gatham FC. The team was purchased by the Carlyle Group and the Seattle Sounders in 2024.

History

The history of Seattle Reign is closely tied to that of the NWSL itself. The NWSL’s creation was the culmination of a protracted and often-difficult effort to established a permanent women’s professional soccer league. This effort began with the formation of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2000. The world’s first women’s professional soccer league, the WUSA made history when it debuted with a roster of eight teams for its inaugural 2001 season. Unfortunately, the league struggled to find success and only managed to last three seasons before succumbing to severe financial losses.

Shortly after the WUSA folded, a reorganization committee formed in hopes of eventually reviving the league. This committee went on to create a non-profit organization called Women’s Soccer Initiative, Inc. (WSII) that worked toward a relaunch of the WUSA. While the WUSA itself would ultimately not be revived, the WSII succeeded in forming a new league dubbed Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2007. Initially comprised of seven teams when it began play in 2009, WPS completed only three complete seasons before being forced to fold in the face of internal organizational struggles and mounting legal problems.

The collapse of WPS prompted the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) to hold a meeting about the future of women’s professional soccer in America. The talks that began at this meeting eventually led to the formation of yet another women’s professional soccer league: the NWSL. Officially announced in 2012, the NWSL boasted an eight-team roster when its inaugural season kicked off the following year. The first NWSL teams included the Boston Breakers, FC Kansas City, Chicago Red Stars, Portland Thorns FC, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash, and Seattle Reign FC.

One of the individuals who took an interest in starting a new team during the NWSL’s formation was Bill Predmore. The founder and CEO of a Seattle area digital marketing agency known as POP, Predmore applied for an NWSL franchise in 2012. When his application was approved late that same year, Predmore officially announced the debut of a new professional women’s soccer team he called Seattle Reign FC. The team’s name was an homage to the Seattle Reign, a women’s basketball team that played in the city for a short time in the 1990s. Like the other original NWSL teams, Reign FC filled out its initial roster through a league-wide allocation of national team players, a college draft, a free agency period, the NWSL Supplemental Draft, and the signing of Discovery Players. This process brought the team a number of key players, most notably USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo.

In its inaugural season, Reign FC struggled to find success on the field, managing only five wins in the year and finishing in seventh place. By the next year, however, the team emerged as one of the NWSL’s best. In 2014, Reign FC finished the regular season in first place, winning the NWSL Shield and eventually meeting (but losing to) FC Kansas City in the championship final. The 2015 season saw Reign FC capture the NWSL Shield for a second straight time and return to face FC Kansas City in the championship final. In another repeat from the previous year, Reign FC was defeated and fell short of winning a title. Although not as successful over the next few seasons that followed, Reign FC continued to field competitive teams.

Several months after the conclusion of the 2018 season, Reign FC officials announced that the team would relocate to Tacoma, Washington, and drop “Seattle” from its name. Two years later, Bill and Teresa Predmore sold the team to OL Groupe, the parent company of French soccer clubs Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. In the aftermath of the sale, Reign FC was renamed OL Reign and the original logo, which featured the visage of a queen wearing a crown, was replaced by the image of a lion as a nod to Lyon, France. In 2024, the team returned to its roots and became the Seattle Reign.

In addition to the club’s effort on the field, Seattle Reign also operates the Seattle Reign Academy. The Seatlle Reign Academy is a female-centric training and playing environment created to help cultivate the future stars of women’s profession soccer. As part of its commitment to this endeavor, the Seattle Reign Academy hosts two separate programs for up-and-coming young players, including Seattle Reign Academy Bleue and Seattle Reign Academy Rouge. Seattle Reign Academy Bleue provides comprehensive, demanding training environments aimed at promoting the development of exceptionally talented and focused players. Seattle Reign Academy Rouge, on the other hand, offers an advanced, competitive training environment with greater flexibility so as to afford players the ability to train while also pursuing other interests.

Notable players

Many notable players have suited up for Seattle Reign since the club first took the field in 2013. The most well-known among these players are USWNT stars Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe. Both came to Seattle Reign through the initial NWSL Player Allocation after establishing themselves as key contributors on the USWNT and helping the United States win at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Solo, one of the game’s top goalkeepers, played with the then-Seattle Reign from 2013 to 2016. During that time, she appeared in 50 games and recorded 188 saves and only 51 goals against. In 2014 and 2016 she also had the NWSL’s lowest goals against average. Solo ultimately left the Reign to play once again with the USWNT at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Rapinoe, an outspoken and charismatic midfielder, played alongside Solo in the Reign lineup through the former’s tenure with the club and continued afterwards. Through the 2021 season, she played in 86 games and recorded 40 regular season goals and three playoff goals to become the Reign’s all-time leading scorer. She was named a team captain in 2018. On the international scene, Rapinoe played for the USWNT at both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She retired in 2023 after eleven years with the club.

Defender Lauren Barnes holds the distinct honor of being the longest-tenured player in Seattle Reign history. Joining the club for its inaugural season after having previously played for the WPS’ Philadelphia Independence, Barnes immediately established herself as one of the Reign’s most valuable defensive players. Through the 2021 season, she had played in 170 regular season games and six playoff games, easily setting the club record for appearances. Barnes was also named a team captain in 2017.

Midfielder Jess Fishlock is another Seattle Reign fixture. A native of Cardiff, Wales, Fishlock also joined the Reign in their inaugural season and quickly became one of the club’s most productive players. By the end of the 2021 season, she ranked second in all-time Reign appearances (144 regular season games and six playoff games) and second in goals (34 total goals in regular season and playoff appearances). Fishlock also served as a team captain in 2017.

Yet another of the key players who was part of the first Reign roster was midfielder Keelin Winters. As the club’s first team captain, she guided the Reign to NWSL Shield wins in 2014 and 2015. Winters played one final season with the team in 2016 before entering retirement. Over her tenure with the Reign, Winters appeared in a total of 87 games and scored six goals.

Other notable Seattle Reign players include Bev Yanez, Kim Little, Bethany Balcer, Kristen McNabb, and Nahomi Kawasumi. Also of note is midfielder Quinn, who joined Seattle Reign in 2019 and came out as transgender and non-binary the following year. Quinn subsequently made history in 2021 as the first ever openly transgender and non-binary athlete to compete at the Olympic Games, as well as the first to win gold.

Bibliography

Dubov, Alex. “NWSL 101: How National Women’s Soccer League Teams Were Formed.” Portland Timbers, 2021, www.timbers.com/news/nwsl-101-how-national-womens-soccer-league-teams-were-formed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Mertens, Maggie. “Opinion: ‘They Play Here.’ OL Reign Player Quinn Is Proof Trans People Do Belong in Sports.” South Seattle Emerald, 31 Mar. 2021, southseattleemerald.com/2021/03/31/opinion-they-play-here-ol-reign-player-quinn-is-proof-trans-people-do-belong-in-sports. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

“OL Reign.” Fotmob, 2021, www.fotmob.com/teams/433031/overview/ol-reign. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

“Seattle Reign FC.” ESPN, 2024, www.espn.com/soccer/team/‗/id/15363/seattle-reign-fc. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

“Seattle Reign.” Soccer Way, 2024, us.soccerway.com/teams/united-states/seattle-reign/24153/ Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

“Seattle Reign Stats and History.” FB Reference, 2024, fbref.com/en/squads/257fad2b/history/OL-Reign-Stats-and-History. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

"Seattle Reign FC." Seattle Reign website, 2024, www.reignfc.com/ Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Smith, Lamar. “Why Doesn’t America Love Women’s Pro Soccer as Much as the USWNT?” The Post Game, 11 Sept. 2019, www.thepostgame.com/uswnt-nwsl-gap-americas-fan-popularity. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.