Washington Freedom Futures was an American women's soccer team and the top-level amateur team in the Washington Freedom Soccer Club hierarchy. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League , the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The W-League team folded after the 2010 season.
8-645: The team played its home games in the stadium at Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland . The club's colors were blue, red and white. The team was part of the official development system of the Washington Freedom Women's Professional Soccer franchise, one of the most successful women's soccer teams in America. The senior Freedom team originally competed in the professional Women's United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003, then joined
16-603: A CONCACAF Champions League match, the ACC Men's Soccer Championships, USL and W League matches, training sessions for Argentina's Boca Juniors and the New Zealand National team. The US Youth Soccer National Championships were also held at the Maryland SoccerPlex. 39°09′10″N 77°18′36″W / 39.15271°N 77.310131°W / 39.15271; -77.310131 This article about
24-715: A history of the Freedom in the W-League, including those years when the W-League team was the senior team to provide historical background and comparison. Maryland SoccerPlex The Maryland SoccerPlex is a sports complex in Germantown, Maryland , although its mailing address is directed to Boyds, Maryland . The facility, completed in 2000 and operated by the Maryland Soccer Foundation (MSF), has 21 natural grass fields, 3 artificial turf fields, and 8 indoor convertible basketball/volleyball courts. In
32-476: The Maryland Soccer Foundation. Matt Libber, formerly of Elite Tournaments, took over the executive director role in January 2019. The stadium features seating for 4,000, including the general admission lawn, with corresponding restroom facilities, formal press box, and box office. The grass playing field measures 115 x 75 yards. The stadium has previously hosted a US Olympic qualifier, U.S. Open Cup matches,
40-698: The W-League in 2006. Once play began in WPS, however, the senior team competed in that league, and the Freedom's reserves took their place in the second tier. In November 2009, the team name was changed from the Washington Freedom (W-League) to the Washington Freedom Futures, and Joanna Lohman was named the team's general manager. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The following sections give
48-556: The park there are also two miniature golf courses, a splash park, a driving range, an archery course, community garden, model boat pond, a bike park featuring a linked jump line and a pump track, tennis center, and a swim center. The Maryland SoccerPlex was completed in 2000 with $ 15 million raised by a group of Montgomery County, Maryland soccer parents led by Discovery Communications chairman John Hendricks and his wife Maureen (also co-founders of Washington Freedom soccer team) through private donations and government-backed bonds. It
56-624: Was built as a private-public partnership between the Maryland Soccer Foundation, created in 1997 to build and operate the complex, and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission . However, initial revenues fell short of projections and the foundation took on $ 14 million in debt, nearly triple the amount projected, and the Hendrickses donated a further $ 6 million in 2005 to stabilize funding and build additional fields. The main stadium holds 4,000 and
64-668: Was home to the Washington Freedom during its time in the Women's Professional Soccer , and the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League played its regular-season games there between 2013 and 2019. The main stadium was renamed Maureen Hendricks Field in a ceremony before a Spirit game on June 15, 2013. On December 31, 2018, the founding executive director, Trish Heffelfinger, retired from
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