180,000—that’s how many people watched the 2016 NWSL Championship final between the Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash. Considering the league was still in its early stages, that number was something to be proud of. And in just nine years, that figure has grown significantly. For context, the 2024 Championship final between the Orlando Pride and—coincidentally—the Spirit drew 11,000 fans to the stadium and over 960,000 viewers watching from home.

Of course, several factors have contributed to the league’s rise — from improvements in gameplay and league structure to new initiatives and investments. But North Carolina Courage midfielder Meredith Speck believes the true credit belongs to the passionate supporters worldwide, who have rightfully played a key role in fueling the league’s remarkable growth.

“It is really exciting, impressive, and kind of jarring sometimes,” began Speck during a brief chat on The Women’s Game podcast, hosted by Sam Mewis. “When we went to LA or even the Bay game last year, it exceeded my expectations.” Honestly, not a surprising claim, considering how the previous two leagues unfolded. The failure of Women’s Professional Soccer marred the atmosphere, making it seem quite a ‘trepidatious time’ for the future of women’s domestic soccer.

However, that isn’t the case anymore, leaving Meredith surprised over the surge of fandom and positive atmosphere surrounding the league, especially in the last three years. In fact, the 32-year-old hopes to see the NWSL at least maintain its current momentum in the coming years — even if it doesn’t reach greater heights, she wants to see the league hold steady.

“I can appreciate how far it’s come but definitely, the fact that we’re not taking any steps backward is very encouraging and a refreshing feeling. I feel like for a while, we were living in this uncertainty of how much can we demand and whether are we going to move forward. Now, it’s just kind of like all full steam ahead,” added the Rockville Centre, New York native.

Notably, Mewis—who has witnessed all the ups and downs of the American women’s domestic landscape—also agreed with Speck, insisting that the NWSL is past those constant worrying thoughts of it being in danger of a potential collapse or failure, ending up following the same fate of the previous leagues.

Just look at the difference yourself: two years before the NWSL debuted in 2013 with eight teams, the first-division Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) was in its final season, featuring only six teams. Fast forward to today, and the NWSL boasts 14 teams, with two more franchises set to join next year. Meanwhile, its rival league the USL Women’s League, has eight teams but will also look for a potential expansion soon.

And that’s not all — Commissioner Jessica Berman has even hinted at the league’s ambition to grow into a 30-team system, similar to MLS, not to mention the eye-popping valuations of the clubs today. That’s not all; the NWSL recently submitted a proposal for the development of a second-tier league. Boy, is it Disneyland for the women’s game! And the biggest reason of all? Well, you know exactly who!

The NWSL has become an automatic pull for fans!

Back in the day, attendance at women’s games was quite shambolic, as Meredith Speck recalls. At times, it almost felt like players had an unspoken duty to plead with fans to show up at stadiums, constantly urging them for their support just to keep the sport alive. In return, all they could offer were entertaining performances and fun activities.

Even Sam Mewis reflected on those days, remembering how the women’s game was often seen as more of a “social impact” cause. With constant pleas for fan support and requests for owners to invest, it sometimes felt like a “moral imperative” or charity case rather than a legitimate business opportunity — instead of people simply recognizing how enjoyable it would be to come and watch the women play.

Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore, with stadiums filling up constantly and fans also breaking global viewership charts as well. No wonder it makes Meredith Speck proudly say, “I have so much appreciation for the fans.”

Cheers to your passion!