With less than two months to go before they kick a ball in the National Women’s Soccer League for the first time, Bay Football Club have given fans a glimpse of how they’ll look on the pitch.
The San Jose-based expansion club unveiled their inaugural home kit, made by Nike, on their website and social media channels on Monday, January 22.
The kit is predominantly white, with a wave pattern of varying tones of grey across the front. The logo of sponsor Sutter Health is printed in black on the chest, as does the logo of league-wide Ally on the left sleeve. The Bay FC crest — a blackletter B that incorporates the architecture of the Golden Gate Bridge inside a navy blue circle — sits on the left chest.
No explanation of the wave pattern was given in Monday’s announcement. But when Bay FC unveiled a suite of logos in June 2023, they did include “fog grey” in their color palette. The “poppy red” used as an accent color in the logos does not appear in the photos of the kits released Monday.
“These kits represent not only the excitement of Bay FC becoming a reality, but the significance behind who is wearing them – which will be our trailblazing and talented players,” Bay FC chief executive officer Brady Stewart said in a press release. “We are excited to provide the Bay Area an opportunity to wear a kit with professional female athlete’s names on their back adding to the incredible athletes who already call the Bay Area home.”
Near the hem on the right side of the front of the jersey is a navy blue Bay FC inaugural season patch in the shape of a shield, “which is a timeless and traditional shape in sports, honoring the love of the game as well as the legends who came before,” according to the press release.
“The inclusion of stars within the patch typically represents a club’s championships, however, they were included to honor the champions of Bay FC’s club – co-founders Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne. All elements of the patch nod to the significance of women’s sports in the Bay Area, fan support, and the first-ever players representing the Bay.”
The NWSL hasn’t yet announced a detailed schedule for the 2024 season, but it will kick off the weekend of March 16 and each of the 14 teams will play 26 regular season matches. The league will take a break from July 15 to August 18 for the Summer Olympics, but will also organize a tournament during that time for players not representing their countries in Paris.
The NWSL playoff will expand this season to include eight teams. The quarterfinals will take place on November 9 and 10, while the semifinals will take place on November 16 and 17. The NWSL Championship is scheduled for November 23.