{"id":4158,"date":"2026-07-03T10:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T10:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4158"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:03:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T10:03:24","slug":"boston-legacy-fc-nwsl-hoping-to-ride-the-wave-of-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4158","title":{"rendered":"Boston Legacy FC, NWSL hoping to ride the wave of the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Can a giant, inflatable swan convince Bostonians with World Cup fever to become NWSL fanatics? Boston Legacy FC is hoping the answer is yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Erdogan\u2019s warm ties with Trump offer Turkey an edge ahead of NATO summit<\/a><\/p>\n

During the group stage of the World Cup, Fox reported an average 5 million viewers across 72 matches, and Telemundo saw an average of 4.6 million viewers. According to FIFA, about 4.6 million fans attended the group stage matches, filling 99.7 percent of available seats.<\/span><\/p>\n

The NWSL wants in on the action.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

While so much of the country\u2019s attention is trained on soccer \u2014 a sport often overlooked in the US pro sports landscape \u2014 the NWSL is using the tournament as an opportunity to grow its fan base.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And as one of the league\u2019s newest expansion teams, Boston Legacy FC is uniquely positioned to capture new fans\u2019 attention. <\/span><\/p>\n

In hopes of doing just that, the club went big with its marketing in the most literal sense.\u00a0The Legacy purchased a 44-foot-tall, 55-foot-long inflatable swan \u2014 the central motif of the team\u2019s crest \u2014 and displayed it in Frog Pond on Boston Common on June 25, coinciding with the United States wrapping up the group stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Legacy further bolster back line with addition of Deja Davis to play alongside recent pickup Lilly Reale<\/div>\n

Later that afternoon, the Legacy hosted a fan zone in the shadow of the swan with games, a DJ, and a photo booth.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the first of five appearances this summer for the swan, which will pop up at the World Cup FanZone in Providence on Friday and on July 9, as well as at the team\u2019s matches at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., on Sunday and on July 10.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But with soccer dominating airwaves and water-cooler conversations in Boston and across the country this summer, why would the team give their biggest marketing effort just five days of air time?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it a real moment that fans have to seek out,\u201d said Sabine Feldmann, the Legacy\u2019s head of marketing. \u201cWe want to make it a destination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Legacy have also hosted watch parties in and around Boston and Providence \u2014 including one at the ICA in Seaport for the France-Norway match, which featured appearances by a dozen Legacy players \u2014 and the team is a partner in the Boston Pride House at C\u00f3smica in the South End.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Paige Bueckers scores 11 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Wings beat the Sun in Hartford<\/a><\/p>\n

They\u2019re hoping that four home matches in the month of July will be a draw for fans who have caught \u201csoccer fever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup is incredibly crowded, especially in a market like Boston, which is one of the FIFA [host] markets,\u201d Feldmann said. \u201cYou think about \u2018How do I stand out, what do I do to make my brand stand out?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The swan and the watch parties are part of a larger, league-wide effort to capitalize on the sport\u2019s time in the spotlight even while NWSL competition was on pause for the month of June. With this summer dubbed the \u201cSummer of Soccer,\u201d the NWSL is leading a content creator-driven social campaign and a national bus tour to drive fan engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re inserting ourselves in a very organic way and an authentic way that is unique, frankly, to the NWSL during this moment, so that when the men\u2019s World Cup comes to a close, they see the league and our clubs as this natural next destination for their fandom,\u201d said NWSL chief marketing officer Rachel Epstein.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Boston Legacy FC acquires Lilly Reale, Hingham native and 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year<\/div>\n

The league is framing its marketing efforts through the idea that, much like the World Cup, the NWSL offers fans a chance to watch world-class soccer from the best players in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur specific focus for the 2026 season is to make sure that our games and our product are in front of people who love elite soccer, agnostic to whether it is men or women, knowing that the NWSL is the best league in the world,\u201d commissioner Jessica Berman said prior to the start of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The NWSL returns to action Friday night after a monthlong break to accommodate the early stages of the World Cup. Boston Legacy FC, coming off a 1-0 loss to Kansas City on May 30, will return to the field Sunday at noon to take on Bay FC in Pawtucket.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The timing coincides with the final days of the round of 32 as World Cup games become more spread out. With the country\u2019s interest in soccer piqued, the NWSL is hoping to create a bridge between World Cup fandom and NWSL fandom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows us to show up when the relevance is the most high,\u201d Epstein said. \u201cRather than passing a baton [once the tournament ends], you get to mesh a little bit and seed our product during a time when everybody\u2019s thinking about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Soft-spoken Malik Tillman delivers a loud statement with his bloody sock goal at the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Legacy purchased a 44-foot-tall, 55-foot-long inflatable swan \u2014 the central motif of the team\u2019s crest \u2014 and displayed it in Frog Pond on June 25, coinciding with the United States wrapping up the group stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nBoston Legacy FC, NWSL hoping to ride the wave of the World Cup - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4158\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boston Legacy FC, NWSL hoping to ride the wave of the World Cup - 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