There will be no Women's Professional Soccer in 2012. Earlier today, the league's Board of Governors voted to suspend operations until the 2013 season, with the hope of play resuming then.
This past October, WPS decided to drop its franchise in South Florida amid constant issues with former owner Dan Borislow. These issues included mistreatment of players and overdue bills. The situation had become so complicated last season, that USWNT star Abby Wambach ended up running the squad until its termination.
Earlier this past month, WPS was ruled against when a judge told them that when terminating the squad, they had not followed the correct procedures if a dispute had been made. Now, WPS is set for another court hearing on the first of February. This legal dispute has not only been painting the League in a negative light, but now have a direct effect on the time and energy needed to start a fresh season.
"We are proud of what the League has accomplished in the first three seasons, but we do recognize the necessity to resolve our existing legal and operational issues so that we can continue to support and grow WPS the right way," Sky Blue FC owner Thomas Hofstetter told to the official WPS website. Team owners decided that instead of ever having to work with Borislow again, they would cancel the season so they could put all their focus on resolving the legal battle so play could resume in 2013.
While the legal battle is certainly the big issue right now, it is not the only problem WPS is contending with. The League is required to have at least eight teams per the rules of the US Soccer Federation to be classified as a first-division league. With only five, the rule was waived with the promise from WPS to have at least six squads in 2013 and eight in 2014. With this ongoing legal battle, hopefully the League's Board of Governor's, which will still be active during the suspension, can find a way to come up with another team when the new season starts in 2013.