Marketing Campaign Pushes Women's Soccer

• by Melanie Bush
• John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post - PHOTO
• 66 Comments

The Washington Spirit is making its presence known. 

D.C.’s professional women’s soccer team has become a familiar sight around the city, with action-packed photos of players appearing in Metro stations, bus shelters, and even Union Station. Stars like Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune are featured on pizza boxes, while radio and TV ads air across local stations, promoting the Spirit to a wider audience.

This is part of the team’s first major brand campaign, which launched in 2023 and continues to make waves. The campaign signifies a shift in how women’s soccer is marketed—no longer targeting just young girls and soccer families, but positioning the Spirit as a key player in the broader D.C. sports scene. According to La Quita Frederick, formerly of Georgetown University’s sports industry management program, the Spirit is claiming its spot alongside other major local teams like D.C. United and the Washington Wizards.

One standout feature of the campaign is its creative use of D.C.’s political and historical traditions. Ads feature slogans like “Football Filibuster” with goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and “Declaration of Trindependence” with Rodman, tying the team to its hometown in clever and engaging ways.

The Spirit also distributed over 100,000 Spirit-branded pizza boxes across more than 75 restaurants, which Meg Patten, the team’s senior director of brand and marketing, likened to turning pizza boxes into the new Wheaties box—a nod to how the Spirit is elevating its players to the status of champions.

These bold, creative marketing strategies are new for women’s soccer. Historically, teams had smaller budgets and modest goals, relying on personal interactions between players and fans to build a following. But times have changed.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has seen significant investment, growing viewership, and a major media rights deal that brings in $60 million annually, a sharp rise from the previous $1.5 million deal with CBS. As more money flows into the league, clubs like the Spirit, Bay FC, and Angel City FC are reaching beyond their core audience of families and embracing more traditional forms of advertising.

Chris Henderson, a lecturer who studies marketing in women’s soccer, highlights how teams are moving away from niche marketing. The Spirit’s campaign, while still family-friendly, aims at capturing the attention of a broader, more diverse audience. This evolution in marketing also shifts the messaging. As midfielder Andi Sullivan noted, in the past, women’s sports were often promoted as charitable or inspirational, focusing on empowering young girls. Now, the focus is on the game itself, positioning women’s soccer as a serious professional sport.

The Spirit’s campaign has paid off. The team has seen a notable increase in attendance, with an average of 13,383 fans per game, a 23 percent rise from last season. Their June 15 match against the San Diego Wave drew a record crowd of 19,897. A brand awareness survey conducted by the Spirit earlier this year showed that familiarity with the club had doubled among respondents. Fans noted seeing the team across various platforms, confirming the campaign’s success in raising the Spirit’s profile within the District.

In addition to the tangible results, these marketing efforts offer intangible benefits. They generate excitement, foster community pride, and build deeper connections between the team and its fans. The Washington Spirit’s rise through innovative marketing not only strengthens its own brand but also helps push women’s soccer into the mainstream spotlight.

Conclusion

The Washington Spirit’s marketing efforts reflect the broader transformation within women’s soccer—moving from grassroots efforts to major campaigns that put the sport front and center. As they continue to make waves in D.C., the Spirit is breaking new ground, proving that women’s soccer deserves the same level of recognition as any other major sport.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How might the Washington Spirit’s marketing campaign impact the future of women’s sports in D.C. and beyond?

2. What role do creative, localized marketing strategies play in building a team’s fanbase?

3. How can other women’s sports teams replicate the Spirit’s success in reaching broader audiences?

4. In what ways does shifting the focus from “charity” to “professionalism” in women’s sports marketing change public perception?

5. What challenges might arise as women’s sports teams aim to attract a more general audience?

Mandarin / 汉语