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Women's Pro Baseball League
Women's baseball league in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is a future professional women's baseball league in the United States. Co-founded by Justine Siegal and Keith Stein, the league is planned to commence play in 2026, with six teams based in the Northeastern United States competing. It will be the fifth American professional women's baseball league, after the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943–1954), National Girls Baseball League (1944–1955), International Girls Baseball League (1952–1953), and Ladies League Baseball (1997–1998).
The league was founded in 2024 with an aim to elevate the visibility and proliferation of women's baseball, by establishing a path to professionalism for college and amateur players. It has no association with Major League Baseball. Maybelle Blair, Cito Gaston, Digit Murphy, and Ayami Sato assisted in the league's initial development. The league's competitions, played during summer, will consist of a four-week regular season and two-week postseason, partitioned by an all-star game. Games will last seven innings, and be played with aluminium bats. Teams will consist of 15–25 players, and be restricted to a total salary cap of US$95,000. The league intends to broadcast its games on a national network, instead of on regional sports networks.
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The Women's Pro Baseball League was co-founded in 2024 by former Major League Baseball (MLB) 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 (WNBA) 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.[2][5] The league's primary aim is to increase the visibility and proliferation of women's baseball by establishing a pathway to professionalism – no high school or college in the U.S. offers girls' baseball programs,[6] and while over 1,300 girls played on high school baseball teams in the 2023–24 academic year, only nine women played on NCAA college baseball teams in 2024.[7][8] The league also intends to capitalize on market research conducted by the MLB, which found that 46% of MLB fans were women, and 53% of women considered themselves MLB fans.[9] The league's startup cost was reportedly between $5–30 million.[10]
The WPBL's establishment was announced to the public via a press release in October 2024.[11][12] Player registrations opened shortly afterwards, and within 24 hours, over 400 players from the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom registered their interest in playing in the league.[7][8] After a week, registrations grew to over 700 players.[12] The league's launch also cultivated significant public interest – a Hart Research poll conducted in April 2025 found interest in the WPBL (19%) to be on par with the WNBA (21%) and NCAA women's college basketball (21%).[13] The inaugural WPBL draft is planned to be conducted in October.[14][15] Tryouts to determine the 150 draftees will be held in August at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.[14][15][16] Over 600 players registered to take part in the tryouts,[17][18] including Mo'ne Davis, whose return to baseball after five years attracted notable media attention.[18][19][20]
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Format
Competition in the Women's Pro Baseball League will consist of a four-week regular season, starting in May, followed by an all-star game, and then a two-week postseason tournament that will determine the league's champion.[21][22] Each team will play two games a week, scheduled between Thursdays and Sundays.[22] WPBL games will last seven innings, and be played with aluminium bats.[23][24]
Organization
The Women's Pro Baseball League is owned by its co-founders Justine Siegal and Keith Stein. Assia Grazioli-Venier serves as the league's chair.[25][26] The league has no association with Major League Baseball – a decision made to preserve both its independence and its women-led organizational structure.[12] A seven-member advisory board deliberates with Siegal and Stein on decisions regarding the league. It currently consists of Laura Gentile, Kate Childs Graham, Leslie Heaphy, Nona Lee, Digit Murphy, Ayami Sato, and Kat Williams. Former Peoria Redwings pitcher Maybelle Blair also serves as its honorary chair.[27][28] U.S. national team captain Alex Hugo leads the league's player development and recruiting efforts.[29]
Teams
The Women's Pro Baseball League aims to commence play with six independently owned clubs, mostly based in the Northeastern United States.[5][29] An expansion to eight clubs is expected to occur afterward.[7] The league's games will be played in two college and/or minor league ballparks with a capacity of 2,500–5,000.[24][30] Players will be provided with accommodation, meals on gamedays, and a share of revenue from sponsors atop their regular salary, which is expected to be "comparable" to those in minor leagues.[21][29][31] Squads can be 15–25 players in size, though a total salary cap of US$95,000 will be enforced by the league.[21][31]
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Broadcasting
The Women's Pro Baseball League intends on striking a national broadcasting deal, as opposed to deals with regional sports networks.[4][32] Fremantle will produce the league's broadcasts, shoulder programming, and documentaries on the league and its clubs.[26][33]
See also
References
External links
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