\u201cWorld-class, professional soccer should be played in world-class, professional soccer stadiums,\u201d says NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke. \u201cThe NWSLPA generally opposes games being played on converted surfaces like baseball fields, and that\u2019s why the players fought so hard for the prohibition against it.<\/p>\n
PLAY BALL! \ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f #BayFC<\/a> and the @WashSpirit<\/a> are set to take over @OracleParkSF<\/a> on August 23rd presented by @Visa<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visit https:\/\/t.co\/5Oc05czr2v<\/a> for more info.@SFGiants<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dl5gTaYhfg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) April 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLast season, we agreed to a one-time exception for Wrigley as part of a broader strategic plan to make the case for a new home for the Stars. This year, we\u2019ve agreed to a one-time exception for Oracle as part of Bay\u2019s search for a permanent home.\u201d<\/p>\n When Bay FC saw how successful the game at Wrigley was, especially as the visiting team for that match, they wanted in. They knew if they could get their product in front of more eyes and use the baseball stadium as a test case for a more central location for the Bay Area team, one night in the ballpark would be worth it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we go back to the beginning of the league when we first played on baseball fields, they were minor league fields that were not the correct dimensions or the quality that we wanted,\u201d Bay FC defender Caprice Dydasco says.\u00a0\u201cThe locker rooms weren\u2019t great, the grass wasn\u2019t great, everything was not ideal and we fought so hard in the CBA to get off the baseball fields. So while it might seem that we\u2019re going backwards, there is a bigger opportunity here to have more fans from the city and see if it\u2019s even possible to build a stadium there.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t For Dydasco, seeing the process play out for the Chicago Stars at Wrigley was a significant part of why she felt comfortable with this process. As the visiting team for that match, she got to sit in on the planning calls and see firsthand what went into the one-time venue change. As a league veteran, she understands why the Stars, who struggle with attendance at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., nearly 45 minutes from the city center, would want to test out a game in the heart of Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n Together with Bay FC\u2019s staff, the players from Bay and the visiting Washington Spirit, along with the NWSLPA, were involved in every step, ensuring their standards were met, that the dimensions of the field would be appropriate, and the facilities would be adequate for the teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur club did a great job in making sure this was the players\u2019 choice,\u201d Dydasco says. \u201cWe say that we\u2019re a player-focused club. Marketing and management came to the leadership group and said this is an idea, we do represent all of the Bay Area, so we want to make sure we play in those markets, but we want to make sure you all feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n The club then laid out its plan to the players. As of now, Bay FC play in San Jose at PayPal Park, which is about an hour outside of San Francisco. Team management not only wanted to break an attendance record for the club, but see firsthand the appetite for a stadium a bit closer to the city center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe team involved us right from the start, from walking the grounds at Oracle with the groundskeeper, who was the same guy who was there when Real Madrid played there, so we\u2019re not the first ever soccer team to play on this field,\u201d Dydasco says. \u201cIt has been done and it\u2019s been to the standard of other teams.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t This was a relief to the player group, who did not want to be treated as a test case, especially with the league\u2019s history with baseball fields. Oracle Park met their standards, and the players\u2014via the team\u2019s trio of NWSLPA reps in Rachel Hill, Emily Menges and Dydasco\u2014will be kept updated up until game day.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to pitch to all the PA reps for every team as to why we wanted to play [at Oracle],\u201d Dydasco explains. \u201cThere was some backlash, which is good, because as PA reps we want to ask the hard questions, such as if we feel we\u2019re going backwards. But Emily, Rachel and I wanted to make sure it was worth it, it was safe, and it\u2019s our responsibility to make sure the standards are met to ensure the game is quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Bay FC players are putting their trust in the club\u2019s front office. From marketing efforts to ticket sales, they see the staff working to make sure this one-off game serves its intended purpose and benefits both the players and fans. With a massive budget set aside to market this significant game, the players see their owners trying to make this a positive experience for everyone, with a specific goal of creating a more sustainable business model for the club in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s going to be massive, and it shows our ownership group is not messing around,\u201d says Menges. \u201cThey\u2019re constantly trying to find creative ways to push standards. I think they\u2019re doing their due diligence on where to find a good location for a stadium, and they want to compete with Kansas City on having the best women\u2019s-only stadium in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Local fans may have already caught glimpses of the team\u2019s marketing efforts, including billboards on the 101 Highway for \u201cThe Show at Oracle Park.\u201d With pregame and halftime performances, gate giveaways, limited edition merch and more surprises, Bay FC are creating an experience that fans will not want to miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe spoke with our head of marketing about what they\u2019re doing in order to make this game something really special for us, and they\u2019re just going above and beyond to get people in San Francisco excited,\u201d Menges says.<\/p>\n With this game comes the reality of possibly moving the team away from San Jose, where a dedicated fanbase has already quickly taken to the team, filling up the stadium week after week. It\u2019s a reality that is difficult for the players who have grown attached to their current home, but one that is necessary for continued sustainability, moving the team forward with the exponential growth of women\u2019s soccer in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have such an amazing fan base in San Jose, so it\u2019s hard to pair those things in my mind, leaving all of our fans [in San Jose], but at the end of the day, ownership wants to make what\u2019s best for the entire Bay Area, for the business and for the players,\u201d Menges says. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to push the standards across the league.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t With Bay FC still flirting with a playoff position, a big game in a big stadium with a record crowd could be just the boost needed to help pick up a much-needed three points. \u201cWhy not us,\u201d has been manager Albertin Montoya\u2019s mantra for the second half of the season. Why can\u2019t Bay FC pick up the most points in the second half of the season? What\u2019s holding them back other than themselves?<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t just drop easy points anymore,\u201d Menges says. \u201cI think we\u2019re fired up, because last year we really took off in the second half of the season. We know what\u2019s possible. We\u2019ve not given up any kind of belief, and we\u2019re even more invigorated at this point of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n While the excitement builds for the Oracle Park spectacle, the enduring message is that this cannot be the perpetual answer for teams looking to move closer to large population areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis limited exception serves a limited business purpose\u2014that of showing that NWSL games can attract more than 30,000 fans to a game in a particular market\u2014but a baseball stadium is not and should not be a permanent solution,\u201d Burke says.<\/p>\n Be that as it may, on Aug. 23, Bay FC will step up to the plate to make their case for San Francisco, even if just this one time, and swing for the fences for the future of the club.\u00a0<\/p>\n More NWSL on Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Bay FC Planned Their Historic NWSL Match at SF Giants\u2019 Oracle Park<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/01k3143atd79nkvd76jr.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\tBay FC\u2019s match against the Chicago Red Stars at Wrigley Field broke an NWSL attendance record. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Racheal](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/01k31406yf760m6jbex0.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\tBay FC forward Racheal Kundananji (left) threw out the first pitch\u2014or, kick\u2014before a Giants game in April. | Andy Kuno\/San Francisco Giants\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/01k314r8bccby6z51k4r.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\tReal Madrid are one of a handful of soccer teams that have played at Oracle Park. | James Williamson\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n