Blue Coat CEO wins rights to Bay Area women's pro soccer franchise - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

http://digitarald.de/forums/profile.php?id=98709
Technology executive Brian NeSmith andhis wife, have been granted rights to a San Francisco-area franchises in the Women’s Professional Soccer Along with the Bay Area team, WPS is scheduled to beginb play in the spring of 2009 with teamx in Boston, Chicago, New York, St. Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. WPS said it expectsw to expand to Atlanta and Philadelphiain 2010. NeSmith is CEO of BCSI), a Sunnyvale company whosed technology protects corporate The NeSmiths havetwo soccer-playinfg daughters. The NeSmiths and WPS have not finalized wheree the team will play or its WPS will begin drafting players for all its teamswthis month. Players will come from the U.S.
Women’ss National Team, colleges and Women’s Professional Soccer is the successor tothe Women’as United Soccer Association. That league launched in 2001 with playersz likeMia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy. The WUSA fieldes eight teams, including the San Jose by capitalizing on jubilation followingthe U.S. women’w team winning the 1999 World Cup. WUSA backers, who lost millionx of dollars, pulled the plug on the leaguwe following the 2003 season after TV and attendance goalsfell short. WPS backers said the new league will not repeat the mistakes ofthe past.
Led by new commissioner Tonyz Antonucci, WPS has a different busineszs plan and has lined up new investor s who paid atleast $1.5 million for rights to a franchise. WPS, whicgh has its league headquarters inSan Francisco, can survive because it will reigmn in costs and broaden its fan base beyond parente and their soccer-playing daughters, said Antonucci, a formerd executive and soccer player. WPS will use social networking sites and other Internetg technology to advertise and promote itself to lesbian andgay Latinos, young men and others who want to see the best femalw soccer players, Antonucci said.
She said the leagues can save money through its relationship with the marketinv armof , the 13-year-old men’s which will sell sponsorships on behalf of the women’s teams. WPS has attracte d some big name investors as it prepares to kick off play next guard Steve Nash and former Yahoo Presidengt Jeffrey Mallett became investors and part owners in thestartuop league. Terms of the deal were not but the total investmen t is said to besix figures. The first person to commit to buying a franchise was Phil the billionaire media and entertainment mogu l with a stake in two Major LeagueSoccert teams.