USL W-League Coming to Columbia

The 2010 W-League season consisted of 29 teams, and now they're adding a 30th in Columbia,  South Carolina. The team, named Central SC Cobras, will start play in the 2011 W-League season in the Eastern Conference. The team's home field has not been announced, but open tryouts have been held. With a successful USL-Pro franchise in the Charleston Battery, will the Central SC Cobras be able to be a long-lasting staple in Columbia?

With Columbia being one of the largest metropolitan areas in the state, attendance should be steady if the team can be successful and play their cards right. Stadium selection is the key. If the Cobras can find a stadium on either the Charleston side or the Greenville side of Columbia, the attendance will be maximized as many people would not be as willing to drive into the heart of Columbia. USL has created many opportunities for soccer growth and the women's side of this is just as important. The youth leagues in South Carolina are bursting at the seams with new teams every year, and the chance to see professional soccer will help the development of soccer in South Carolina.

Hopefully the support will be there for this new women's team, and they can be as successful as the other women's franchises in the southeast. Soccer is still in its infancy in SC, but signs of hope have been here since 1993. The Battery have proved that soccer can work in South Carolina, and the Cobras could drive the point home.

You can find out more about the Central SC Cobras at their website.