“There weren’t a lot of resources,” remarked Emma Hayes, reflecting on the challenges she faced during her time at Chelsea. Yes, the very club where she won 16 trophies; the same club that not only excels in its men’s program but also knows how to dominate the women’s game, breaking transfer records with million-dollar deals, if you will. But as surprising as it may seem, challenges have persisted overall in the WSL in one way or another. No wonder Angel City forward Katie Zelem claims the NWSL is better than European leagues!

Yes, this comes from the very player who arrived in the United States just last year. Not to mention that the midfielder has also represented the highest ranks of Liverpool, Juventus, and her childhood club, Manchester United, for over a decade. Yet, Zelem confidently gives the National Women’s Soccer League a greater hand over other European leagues. 

The assertion was made in the latest episode of the RE—CAP show, co-hosted by her ACFC teammate Christen Press and USWNT icon Tobin Heath. Given how Katie has spent the majority of her time in England, she was asked to reveal which league between the NWSL and the WSL has more financial backing according to her. Without any major thought, Zelem answered, “NWSL…”

“…and the reason I’m going to say that is because all the teams are like standalone teams. They financially can support themselves. I think the salary cap kind of skews the vision on it because it limits to what clubs could spend,” she continued with her explanation.

The 29-year-old cited the example of Chelsea, who have been spending quite highly. For context, a whopping $12.5 million was spent by the Blues in the transfers alone in 2024, never mind offering lucrative contracts. But eventually, their financial backing is handled by the main stakeholders of the team, a.k.a. the men’s department.

Meanwhile, Zelem can be nothing but proud about how all the NWSL teams are standing on their own feet. “Angel City’s valuation is crazy. When you think about it, we’re just one team,” added the English international, again citing her time at Man United. The Glazer family, the owner of the Red Devils, has to allocate their budget not just for the men’s or women’s team but even for all kinds of youth teams.

However, the same isn’t the case with American domestic teams, as they are dedicated to only women’s team and their youth programs. “I actually think sometimes about this; whenever we see all the staff at Angel City, I’m like, ‘You’re just all here for us, just those 25 people like cluelessly running around, and you’re all here to do what we’re doing,’” concluded Zelem.

It’s the opposite of what Emma Hayes experienced during her initial days at Chelsea: “We didn’t have full-time players or shared facilities. It was a huge build by a lot of people over a long period of time.” The former Chelsea boss also admitted that it took the Blues almost 8-9 years before establishing the right types of facilities for their women’s program.

While it’s understandable that such things would make Zelem’s decision to depart WSL easily, we are rather interested in knowing what exactly made her come to America.

‘Agent’ Christen Press convinced Katie Zelem to join Angel City!

Apparently, Katie Zelem needed some convincing before making it to the States. And who better to do it than Christen Press, who easily capitalized on her expertise in her ambassadorial duties for Angel City to get the job done? Interestingly, Press highlighted fan attendance as a key factor. While Europe leads in numbers, the NWSL is steadily growing, with increasing fan support. 

“Christen said to me was the match experiences are like no other. There’s 20,000 each game and the atmosphere and everything is crazy. I thought Christen is hard to please, so if she is saying that, it’s true,” said Katie earlier. 

Well, it is true that the NWSL attendance is on the rise. A report by The Athletic stated that the Chicago Stars drew a crowd of 35,038 for a game in June 2024. Meanwhile, Angel City’s average attendance has climbed to 19,865, up from 19,756 in 2023—a 0.55% increase, reflecting strong fan support. As of July 5th, nine out of the 12 teams from the 2023 season have matched or exceeded their previous year’s attendance figures.

And look where we are; thanks to Christen, Katie Zelem has pledged her allegiance to team NWSL!