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Women's Pro Baseball League

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"WPBL" redirects here. For the former basketball league, see Women's Professional Basketball League.

Women's Pro Baseball League
The letters "WPBL" are written in black – a baseball is depicted in in the lower-left.
Interim logo
SportBaseball
Founder
First season2026 (planned)
No. of teams6 (planned)
CountryUnited States

The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is a planned professional women's baseball league to commence in 2026, with six teams in the northeastern United States.

History

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The Women's Pro Baseball League was co-founded in 2024 by former Major League Baseball coach Justine Siegal, and owner of the Intercounty Baseball League's Toronto Maple Leafs, Keith Stein.[1][2] An advocate for gender equality in sports, Siegal previously founded Baseball for All, a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes girls' participation in baseball.[3][4] The commercial success and stability of the Women's National Basketball Association and National Women's Soccer League inspired Siegal and Stein to create a professional league for women's baseball,[2][3] and hired Japan national team pitcher Ayami Sato and former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston as special advisers to help develop it.[1][2] The league's primary aim is to increase the visibility of women's baseball by establish a pathway to professionalism – while over 1,300 girls played on boys' high school baseball teams in the 2023–24 academic year, only nine women played on men's NCAA college baseball teams in the 2024 season.[5][6]

The league's establishment was announced to the public via a press release in October 2024.[7] Player registrations opened shortly afterwards, and within 24 hours, over 400 players from the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom registered their interest in playing in the league.[5][6] A scouting camp is planned to take place in early 2025.[6]

Format

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The Women's Pro Baseball League competition will consist of a regular season, followed by a playoff tournament that will determine the league's champion.[4][8]

Teams

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The Women's Pro Baseball League aims to have six, independently-owned clubs in its inaugural 2026 season, all based in the northeastern United States.[1][3] An expansion to eight clubs is expected to occur in the near future.[5]

Broadcasting

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The Women's Pro Baseball League intends on striking a national broadcasting deal, as opposed to deals with regional sports networks.[4][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Anderson, R.J. (October 30, 2024). "New Women's Pro Baseball League to launch in 2026: 'We have been waiting over 70 years'". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "New professional women's baseball league to launch in 2026". Sportsnet. October 29, 2024. Archived from the original on October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Young, Ryan (October 29, 2024). "New women's professional baseball league set to launch in 2026: 'Our time is now'". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Hoornstra, Jon Paul (October 29, 2024). "Can the WPBL be the next big thing in women's sports?". The Big Lead. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Thames, Alanis (November 13, 2024). "Women's baseball players could soon have a league of their own again". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Soriano, Daniel (November 15, 2024). "'A League of their own': Women's baseball finally returns to the field". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Hinkson, Kamila (October 30, 2024). "New Women's Pro Baseball League to launch in 2026: 'We have been waiting over 70 years'". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024. A professional womens baseball league aims to begin competition in the U.S. in 2026, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
  8. ^ a b "Women's baseball league prepares for '26 launch". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. October 29, 2024. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024. It plans on securing a national broadcast deal for its inaugural season, which will consist of a regular season, playoffs and championship throughout the summer of 2026.
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