Women's Pro Baseball League Explained

Logo Upright:0.8
Sport:Baseball
Inaugural:2026 (planned)
Teams:6 (planned)
Country:United 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

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

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

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

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anderson . R.J. . New Women's Pro Baseball League to launch in 2026: 'We have been waiting over 70 years' . . October 30, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241030200714/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/new-womens-pro-baseball-league-to-launch-in-2026-we-have-been-waiting-over-70-years/ . October 30, 2024 . October 30, 2024 . live.
  2. Web site: New professional women's baseball league to launch in 2026 . . October 29, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241029225039/https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/new-professional-womens-baseball-league-to-launch-in-2026/ . October 29, 2024 . October 29, 2024 . live.
  3. Web site: Young . Ryan . New women's professional baseball league set to launch in 2026: 'Our time is now' . . October 29, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241029224854/https://sports.yahoo.com/new-womens-professional-baseball-league-set-to-launch-in-2026-our-time-is-now-194853860.html?guccounter=1 . October 29, 2024 . October 29, 2024 . live.
  4. Web site: Hoornstra . Jon Paul . Can the WPBL be the next big thing in women's sports? . . October 30, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241030010248/https://www.thebiglead.com/can-the-wpbl-be-the-next-big-thing-in-women-s-sports . October 30, 2024 . October 29, 2024 . live.
  5. Web site: Thames . Alanis . Women's baseball players could soon have a league of their own again . . November 16, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241116125341/https://apnews.com/article/womens-pro-baseball-league-2026-e572ee8481c4e0ba3f2b611eaf47f9cd . November 16, 2024 . November 13, 2024 . live.
  6. Web site: Soriano . Daniel . 'A League of their own': Women’s baseball finally returns to the field . . November 16, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241116125501/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1150035/a-league-of-their-own-womens-baseball . November 16, 2024 . November 15, 2024 . live.
  7. Web site: Hinkson . Kamila . New Women's Pro Baseball League to launch in 2026: ‘We have been waiting over 70 years’ . . November 16, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241104034147/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5883196/2024/10/29/women-baseball-league-debut-united-states-2026/ . November 4, 2024 . October 30, 2024 . A professional womens baseball league aims to begin competition in the U.S. in 2026, according to a news release issued Tuesday. . live . registration .
  8. Web site: Women's baseball league prepares for '26 launch . . October 30, 2024 . https://archive.today/20241030001843/https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/10/29/womens-professional-baseball-league . October 30, 2024 . October 29, 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. . live . limited.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Women's Pro Baseball League".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.