Growing the Game: Hartford Athletic Joins USL’s W League

Photo credit Hartford Athletic website.

By Mary Merensky

The Hartford Athletic will be joining the USL’s W League this summer, providing more

opportunities for women to play sports in Connecticut. Here’s what you need to know about this new team and how expanding into the W League will impact the local community.

The USL’s W League is a pre-professional women’s soccer league for players in college,

allowing them to develop their skills while still retaining NCAA eligibility.

The W League season takes place from May to mid-July, with each team playing between 10 and 12 games.

When asked about the addition of the W League team, Bruce Mandell, chairman of Hartford

Athletic, said, “Adding a USL W League team is a transformative step in Hartford Athletic’s

vision to provide developmental pathways for all players throughout Connecticut.”“Since our founding, we’ve seen the incredible passion and talent among female players

throughout our state,” says Mandell. Women’s sports are more popular now than ever, so it is no wonder that the Hartford Athletic has made the choice to add this new team to the mix.

Photo of Hartford Athletic fans at Trinity Health Stadium. Photo credit Hartford Athletic Facebook.

Back in October, Danny Barrera was announced as head coach for the Hartford Athletic’s

inaugural W League season. Barrera was a member of the Hartford Athletic men's team from

their very first season in 2019 up until he retired from soccer in 2024 and set the All-Time Club

Records for goals, assists, minutes, and appearances. Despite retiring from playing in 2024,

Barrera has continued working with the Hartford Athletic Academy as a coach and Director of

Player Experience and Development.“My vision is to create pathways for girls in Connecticut and the Northeast - a place where they feel like they can come and train at a very high level and be prepared for the next step in their journeys,” said Barrera. “It’s exciting that we’re investing in the women’s game, especially when we have a youth academy for girls.”

Photo of Hartford Athletic Girls Academy players and coach. Photo credit Hartford Athletic website.

In 2024, The Hartford Athletic created its Girls Academy to help develop the talent of young

girls in Connecticut. The Academy offers five teams, ranging from U10 to U15, which provide

constant support to young soccer players in the state.

Bringing the W League to Hartford not only gives women more opportunities to play and

develop their talent, but it also sets the foundation for the next generation of girls, giving them

the belief in themselves that they can also compete at that high a level.The Hartford Athletic has held multiple clinics and open tryouts throughout the past year for

both the Girls Academy and W League squad. If you or someone you know is interested in these clinics and/or tryouts, they are typically announced on the Hartford Athletic W League team’s Instagram.

On January 5th, Taylor Jenkins, a midfielder from UConn, was announced as the W League

team’s first signing. Since then, the Hartford Athletic have signed three more players, includingJuliana Garcia, a forward from Northeastern University, Jocelyne Koffi, a midfielder and Providence College commit, and Maggie Kershnar, a forward and UConn commit.

While the Hartford Athletic is still in the process of forming its W League team, the recent

signings certaintly gives soccer fans in Connecticut something to look forward to.

The club is yet to announce its 2026 schedule, but the Hartford Athletics men’s team has hosted college nights for the last two years as part of their promotions. In the past, this promotion allowed students to get tickets at a discounted rate if they purchased them through the Hartford Athletic website and used their student email (.edu).