The Powerful Combination of ESPN’s Premier Sports Reach & ION’s Free Over-the-Air and Multi-Platform Distribution Creates a National Stage for the Next Generation of Women’s Team Golf
Inaugural WTGL Season to Launch Sunday, Nov. 8 From SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
ORLANDO, Fla.; BRISTOL, Conn.; and CINCINNATI: TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, today announced multiyear U.S. media rights agreements with ESPN and Scripps Sports/ION to bring WTGL, the new women’s team golf league, to fans starting with the inaugural season this fall. WTGL will launch Sunday, Nov. 8 from SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The announcement was made today by Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president, programming and acquisitions, ESPN; Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company; and Rufus Hack, president, golf, TMRW Sports.
WTGL will air across two national sports leaders with complementary strengths:
- ESPN, the leader in sports coverage, which served as the U.S. media rights partner for the first two seasons of TGL presented by SoFi, is the industry leader in women’s sports coverage, with more live events, original programming and dedicated storytelling across its platforms than any other media company. WTGL matches and shoulder programming will air across ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), giving the new league a premier sports media home with broad national reach across linear, streaming and digital channels.
- ION gives the new league a consistent broadcast presence on a multi-platform network available free over the air to every television home in America. WTGL joins ION’s top-tier women’s sports lineup that includes the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and Major League Volleyball (MLV), reinforcing ION’s role as a national destination for women’s sports. ION, The E.W. Scripps Company’s national sports and entertainment network, reaches more than 128 million households nationally.
- Full WTGL Season 1 schedule, commentators, and production details will be announced prior to the start of the season.
“We are genuinely excited to be the home for WTGL as it launches its inaugural season this fall,” said Durant. “Bringing WTGL to fans across ESPN platforms continues our ongoing commitment to growing and elevating women’s sports, supports our belief in the momentum of women’s golf and reflects our confidence in TMRW Sports’ vision for engaging fans in new ways.”
“WTGL is a compelling addition to ION’s signature women’s sports lineup, bringing fans a new national stage for women’s team golf,” said Symson. “With world-class athletes, an innovative team format and a high-energy technology-driven environment, WTGL will bring fans up close to women’s golf to connect more fans with the players and competition shaping the future of the game. We look forward to helping WTGL reach audiences nationwide through consistent, accessible national distribution on ION, the home for women’s sports.”
“Together, ESPN and ION provide a bold, modern stage for the best players in women’s golf and the ideal overall stage for WTGL,” said Hack. “As we build toward the start of WTGL’s inaugural season this November, this partnership gives us and the LPGA a tremendous platform to bring the world-class skill, personalities and competitive spirit of these athletes to fans across the country.”
- As previously announced, WTGL includes 25 dynamic and talented LPGA stars including major champions, Solheim Cup winners, Olympians, legends of the game, an LPGA Hall of Fame member and emerging stars who are ready to showcase women’s team golf and bring new fans to the game.
- WTGL features five teams (Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles Golf Club, Motor City Golf Club,New York Golf Club) competing in a round-robin regular season where every match carries postseason implications, building to the Playoffs: single-elimination Semifinals and a best-of-three Finals. Like the best team sports, the format is simple to follow — two teams enter, and two hours later, one team leaves the winner.
- WTGL is backed by TMRW Sports and Trybe Ventures, the league’s lead capital partner, co-founded by soccer legend Alex Morgan. Trybe Ventures’ investor group includes some of the most accomplished women in sports, including Morgan, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Aryna Sabalenka, Hilary Knight, Diana Taurasi, Napheesa Collier, Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.
About WTGL:
Created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, WTGL is a new women’s team golf league launching this fall. Building on the foundation of TGL presented by SoFi, WTGL will feature teams of the world’s best women golfers competing in a season-long, fast-paced team match play competition. WTGL’s home is the custom-built SoFi Center, a tech-infused venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The five teams for WTGL’s inaugural season are Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles Golf Club, Motor City Golf Club and New York Golf Club. To learn more about WTGL, its teams, rosters, competitive format and technology, visit WTGLGolf.com.
About TMRW Sports: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)
TMRW Sports is focused on building modern approaches in sports, media and entertainment. By creating new leagues for a new age, TMRW Sports, in partnership with established leagues like the NFL, PGA Tour and LPGA, is forging pathways and experiences for new generations of fans. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL presented by SoFi, is a primetime team golf league in partnership with the PGA Tour reaching 152 territories worldwide and described as a “high-energy arena spectacle” by Vanity Fair, “pure entertainment” by GQ and “golf’s boldest new venture” by Fast Company. Launching this fall, WTGL will feature teams of the world’s best women golfers in partnership with the LPGA. TMRW Sports is also developing a men’s and women’s professional flag football league in partnership with the National Football League and 32 Equity, the NFL’s collective investment vehicle. Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is supported by an influential and diverse investor group of athletes, celebrities and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology and finance. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.
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About ION
A leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60 stations in 40 markets.
About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville Predators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Denver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
WTGL Media Contact:
Adam Freifeld
Vice President, Communications – Golf
Adam.Freifeld@TMRWSportsGroup.com
917-597-7762
ESPN Media Contact:
Kevin Ota
Kevin.Ota@ESPN.com
860-839-7834
Scripps Sports / ION Media Contact:
Jim Weiss
Jim.Weiss@scripps.com
770-722-2142
