MEDIA CONTACTS

Michael Murphy, Co-Founder & CEO
michael@clevelandsoccergroup.com
  

Gina Prodan Kelly, Content Director
gina@clevelandsoccergroup.com 

ABOUT CLEVELAND SOCCER GROUP

Founded in 2022, Cleveland Soccer Group is set on bringing both men’s and women’s professional soccer to Cleveland and growing the game across Northeast Ohio. After securing rights to launch an MLS Next Pro men’s team, CSG expanded its efforts with a bid to bring a women’s pro soccer team to the city. That team will be announced soon. CSG has already garnered over 16,000 season ticket pledges, positioning the city for an exciting future in professional soccer.

Michael Murphy Bio | Nolan Gallagher Bio | More About CSG

ABOUT WOMEN'S SPORTS RIGHT NOW

Media coverage of women's sports has tripled since 2019 and are expected to generate nearly $1.3B this year. Nearly 1M watched last year's NWSL championship, and 1.1M watched the Women's Super League match featuring Chelsea vs. Liverpool. More people watched the 2023 Women's NCAA Championship than the first game of the MLB World Series.

And this year's NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in Cleveland is expected to generate $25M in economic impact for the region.

The NWSL is the fastest-growing professional sports league in the United States, and recently announced media deals with CBS Sports, ESPN, Amazon worth $240M. Media coverage and women's sports are growing because there's a demand, a drive, a love for these teams, athletes and sports.

ABOUT SOCCER IN CLEVELAND

Cleveland fans are renowned for our devotion. We show up. We bleed our team's colors. And despite our mid-market size, Cleveland is a Top 10 Pro Sports City. Cleveland is also the only top-20 sports market without a professional outdoor soccer team.

Soccer is nothing new in Cleveland. We've been playing it for generations. We've waved the flags and sung the songs of domestic and international soccer teams for decades. We've even celebrated multiple indoor league championships with the Cleveland Crunch. From cultural soccer clubs and community programs, competitive travel and nationally ranked college teams, Northeast Ohio is steeped in soccer history, talent and love for this game.