Inspiration on the Isthmus – Rally Madison FC begins life in USL W this Summer
The first steps for professional women’s soccer in Madison, WI will be made by a pre-professional side with a roster which will “reflect a lot of home grown talent from Wisconsin that has either hasn’t had the opportunity to play pre-professionally previously or traveled to do so.”, according to newly named the Director of Retail at the newly named Rally Madison FC, Alyssa Bruce. Rally Madison debuts this coming Summer in USL W League.
Speaking to Northern Lights Football, she added “the technical staff has a lengthy history coaching elite level talent on the girls side in southern Wisconsin, and are excited to have an opportunity for those athletes to come back and play on their home turf. The goal is still to play professional women’s soccer in Madison. As more professional leagues develop for women’s soccer in the US, we will continue to vet if they are a fit for us. Our current stadium would need improvements, which is currently barring us from joining the Super League. We do hold the rights for a Super League team.” The 1920s construction Breese Stevens Field needs women’s specific locker rooms and infrastructure, new field turf and renovated facilities to make a first division club viable. Furthermore, the Club will need to secure a full-sized, indoor training facility to make participation in the Super League season possible.
Speaking in 2023, Forward Madison partners Conor Caloia and Vern Stenman said “Since we launched professional soccer in Madison in 2019, we have had the goal of bringing the first professional women’s soccer team in the State of Wisconsin to Madison. We are now one step closer to this goal and we look forward to working with the City of Madison on the necessary improvements to make this goal a reality.”
The name Rally Madison FC is inspired by the Women’s Suffrage Movement throughout Wisconsin and the United States in the early 1900s, with Wisconsin as the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment on June 10th, 1919.
Bruce added that “the name, ‘Rally’, is a commitment—a call to action. We are rallying Madison together to support, uplift, and celebrate women’s soccer. We believe in creating an inclusive, loud, and passionate fanbase that shows up for every match. Every ticket sold, every song sung, every cheer from the stands is an investment back into the program, funding the development of our youth pathway and cementing Madison as a hub for women’s soccer excellence. This is our city’s chance to show the nation what true support for the women’s game looks like.”
The crest includes nods to the female statue atop the State Capitol building just 8 blocks from Breese Stevens Field, the Madison flag and a yellow rose as a direct reference back to the suffragists. The club’s colors also reflect back to that struggle.
Talking of Madison, Bruce is confident that Rally Madison FC “will fit nicely alongside already strong women’s brands in our market” including LOVB Volleyball, Madison Night Mares Softball and the University of Wisconsin Badgers as a premier women’s sports organization. “We are committed to providing the same level of game experience as Forward Madison FC with Rally Madison FC. We hope that Rally Madison FC will provide role models for the youth in our community both on and off the field, and show young girls that they can continue to play a high level of soccer in Madison. We hope that Madison will continue to grow as a mecca of women’s sports as we help to fill a void of pre-professional soccer in our community.”
This mission will be further realized through the Rally Girls Soccer Fund, which aims to bridge the financial and logistical barriers that prevent girls in the Madison-area from accessing and continuing to participate in soccer.” The basis of the fund is to create more opportunities for girls in our community to start playing soccer, and support programming to keep them playing at a high level.
The club will donate $1 from every ticket sold to the fund each year with the aim of providing grants at the youth, high school, and professional level for girls and women in our community. “We have 3 founding pillars: Grow, Connect and Inspire. Our first grant was given to the Madison East High School Girls Soccer program that plays their home games at Breese Stevens Field.” The grant will provide a soccer ball for each athlete to take home, and replenish their practice supply. It will also cover new warm-ups for their varsity program, which has a mixed set from previous seasons. MEHS Girls Soccer has a large program on the girls soccer side, and for many this is their first time playing competitive soccer.