Sources

All sources were reviewed for this report on 3 November 2026. Dates below are publication dates where available; undated pages are identified by their review date. The desk’s spending assumptions are supplied planning inputs without a public URL and are not independently validated.

1. MLS — US-based club count, 2 September 2026: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/major-league-soccer-announces-participation-in-2027-lamar-hunt-u-s-open-cup
2. MLS — 2026 league structure, undated/current page: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/about-major-league-soccer-x4174
3. NWSL — 2026 Competition Rules & Regulations: https://images.nwslsoccer.com/image/private/t_q-good/prd/tstudhfledlk7z8ygtzd.pdf
4. Sports Business Journal — NWSL schedule expansion, 15 January 2026: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/01/15/2026-nwsl-schedule-highlights-new-teams-world-cup-displacement-neutral-site-challenge-cup/
5. NWSL — Atlanta expansion, 12 November 2025: https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-awards-expansion-franchise-to-atlanta
6. NWSL — Columbus expansion, 21 April 2026: https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-awards-expansion-franchise-to-columbus-marking-the-league-s-18th-club
7. The Athletic/Yahoo Sports — further NWSL expansion intentions, 8 October 2026: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nwsl-looking-expand-least-20-121606661.html
8. Hudl — Wyscout pricing, undated/current page: https://www.hudl.com/products/wyscout/pricing
9. Metrica Sports — pricing, undated/current page: https://www.metrica-sports.com/plans
10. Nacsport — official catalogue, undated/indexed content: https://www.nacsport.com/products.php?lc=en-gb&level=nacsportaitokens
11. Nacsport — official catalogue with larger Hub tiers, undated/indexed content: https://www.nacsport.com/esports/pricing.php?lc=es-es&level=nacsport
12. SkillCorner — growth investment, 17 December 2025: https://landing.skillcorner.com/articles/skillcorner-x-silversmith
13. Catapult — IMPECT acquisition filing, 13 October 2025: https://www.catapult.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20251013-13-October-2025-Impect-Acquisition-Announcement-Final.pdf
14. Hudl — StatsBomb acquisition, 12 August 2024: https://www.hudl.com/blog/hudl-statsbomb-press-release-en
15. Sports Business Journal — undisclosed acquisition terms, 14 August 2024: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/08/14/hudl-statsbomb/?issueId=RRME3TUR7BAF2X4MWCS5KHM3Q4
16. Hudl — San Diego Wave case study, 5 October 2026: https://www.hudl.com/blog/san-diego-wave-chris-loxston-club-framework
17. Catapult — IMPECT Video Scouting launch, 22 July 2026: https://www.catapult.com/blog/catapult-launches-impect-video-scouting
18. Fokus — Philadelphia Union partnership, July 2026, day unspecified: https://fokus.ing/es/blog/philadelphia-union-technology-partnership
19. Hudl — Statsbomb/Wyscout integration, 28 July 2025: https://www.hudl.com/blog/hudl-statsbomb-video-wyscout
20. FC Dallas — Driblab renewal, 17 June 2025: https://www.fcdallas.com/news/fc-dallas-driblab-extend-player-performance-and-scouting-partnership
21. SciSports — Seattle Sounders renewal, 22 January 2025: https://scisports.com/scisports-and-seattle-sounders-extend-partnership/
22. FIFA — 2026 mid-year transfer snapshot, 3 September 2026: https://inside.fifa.com/transfer-system/media-releases/world-cup-2026-impact-mid-year-transfer-window
23. FIFA — 2025 women’s mid-year transfer table: https://inside.fifa.com/transfer-system/transfer-reports?tab=Women%27s+mid-year+transfer+snapshot+2025
24. SkillCorner — company and coverage claims, undated/current page: https://www.skillcorner.com/
25. American Soccer Analysis — 2024 NWSL survey, published 6 August 2025: https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2025/8/6/2024-nwsl-analytics-survey-a-retrospective-look-at-the-state-of-data-in-womens-soccer
26. American Soccer Analysis — MLS survey, 21 July 2025: https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2025/7/21/2025-mls-analytics-survey
27. Columbus Women’s Soccer Team Company — Director of Scouting job description, checked 3 November 2026: https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=218a8a5e70416af3
28. Soccerwise — episode including Lucy Rushton interview, 27 October 2026: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-san-diego-catch-gotham-for-the-shield-nwsl-soccerwise/id1752138229?i=1000798427716
29. MLS — 2027 Sprint Season schedule, 29 October 2026: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/major-league-soccer-announces-2027-sprint-season-schedule
30. MLS — calendar FAQ, checked 3 November 2026: https://www.mlssoccer.com/2027mlssprintseason/faq
31. Hudl — Statsbomb API release notes, relevant entry 22 September 2025: https://www.hudl.com/releases/statsbomb