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There were youth clubs in volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming called the San Diego Wave or Waves. There’s a college summer baseball team and minor league basketball team, even a local men’s flag football team.
There were men’s and women’s volleyball teams. In 1995 the San Diego Wave competed in a Southern California women’s ice hockey league. Two years later, the San Diego Waves became the first participant in the National Women’s Basketball League.
A trademark for San Diego Wave was registered in 2019 and later abandoned when the American women’s professional football team never got off the ground.
The latest version is San Diego Wave FC, set to play in the National Women’s Soccer League in March.
The difference: It belongs to the best league in the world for its sport and its gender and its owner is a billionaire.
The expansion club, owned by Ron Burkle and operated by former U.S. women’s national coach Jill Ellis, officially announced its name Tuesday morning, despite leaked social media three weeks ago. It’s the first in a spate of announcements in the coming weeks as the team unveil crests, colors and jerseys; the players who will wear them; and the training and match venues that they will call home.
Ellis said the name came from months of research that included focus groups, questionnaires, polls, and discussions with people inside and outside the sport. It’s not new to San Diego, but it does have a few twists and turns.
The FC stands for Futbol Club, an allusion to the proximity of the Mexican border and the deep Latino roots in the community. “Accepting our diversity,” said Ellis.
And Wave should work on several levels.
“The first thing was when you think of San Diego, what do you think about, what resonates?” Said Elli. “I like it because we’re a seaside town and the water is such a living part of this community. And exactly what the wave can represent, this idea of how we can be – the strength of the wave, its power, its beauty. “
The club is believed to be the first in professional sport to be largely (if not exclusively) run by women, from Ellis to chief revenue officer Vanessa Shay to marketing director Ali Williams and head coach Casey Stoney.
“I believe our name strikes the perfect balance between portraying our beautiful city and wanting to be a relentless force on the pitch,” Stoney said in a statement. “Wave FC will be a source of city pride for the community on and off the field.”
The plan is to hold a public launch next month before the NWSL expansion and college drafts. The players would arrive on February 1, followed by a five- or six-week training camp.
In addition, there are infrastructure decisions for a headquarters, a practice facility and a permanent home field. The Wave has only announced that it will start its inaugural season at USD Torero Stadium but has not committed to play there year round.
One option is to build a football-specific venue, perhaps with a view to breaking into North County’s untapped market. Another is the move to San Diego State’s new stadium in Mission Valley due to open in late summer for a college football team.
The expansion draft is on December 16 for the Wave and other expansion franchises Angel City FC of Los Angeles. The Kansas City Current, which started this season, is exempt from the draft, but the other nine teams can only protect nine players (and only one of the 22 whose salaries are paid by US Soccer). The protected list will be finalized on December 10th.
The Wave and Angel City choose one player from each team. The NWSL draft with college players also takes place two days later in Los Angeles and includes all 12 teams that will play in 2022.
The league does not have a free agency in the traditional sense, but clubs can acquire unsigned players who are not available in either draft. You are also allowed up to five foreigners.
“We got amazing interest,” said Ellis. “The agents have answered. San Diego itself stands out as a major draw for its lifestyle and community and what it represents. Then there is our coach and the facilities and resources. “
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