SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Drive along San Francisco’s waterfront in the coming days, and you might see an unexpected sight: a soccer pitch on a barge. It’s there to celebrate the upcoming National Women’s Soccer Championship. “Being able to see the cityscape and being able to share the excitement for NWSL’s championship week here in the Bay Area is what we’re all about,” said Brendan Hannan. The floating field will host a series of events beginning Thursday. All of them are designed to help get fans involved and excited ahead of the big game. Hannan is a spokesperson for the NWSL. He believes this weekend’s events will help increase the league’s visibility and popularity. MORE: NFL, Bay Area Host Committee announce venues for Super Bowl 60 events “Some of the best players in the world play in our league here, and this is the opportunity to see the showcase of that,” Hannan said. Women’s professional sports, and especially soccer, have been exploding in popularity. Matthew Atencio, of the Center for Sport and Social Justice at Cal State East Bay, says the trend has been years in the making. “We’re coming up on just over 50 years since Title IX legislation, gender equity in sports. And I really think we’re seeing the fruits of that legislation now with the explosion of professional women’s sports,” Atencio said. This weekend’s soccer championship is only the first of several big sporting events that will happen in the Bay Area. MORE: Bay FC soccer game makes history with new attendance record of 40, 000 people at SF’s Oracle Park Next year, our region will also host the World Cup as well as the Super Bowl. Those events are expected to bring increased tourism and revenue into our region. But local officials hope they also help shape the Bay Area’s image of being a major sports hub. “I think this is a great sports town and a great sports community. You have sort of all of the great history within the sport here,” Hannan said. The NWSL championship game will take place Saturday at 5 p. m.
https://abc7news.com/post/floating-soccer-pitch-hits-san-francisco-bay-ahead-national-womens-league-championship-weekend/18176995/
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