Portland Thorns FC

• Since 2013, Portland Thorns have won the championship of the NWSL play-offs twice, reached the semi-finals three times and were named runners-up once.

• No one expected the team to perform at the level they do, because women’s professional football failed twice before.

• A football culture dating back to the 1970s has translated into an avid fan base.

• “We are – and were from the start – one club,” explains Mike Golub, President of Business at the club. That equality allows both the men’s and women’s teams to shine.

Portland Thorns FC have earned a reputation for excellence since their founding in 2012. In their inaugural year, the team placed third during the regular season, but won the first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship. The club had the highest average attendance across the league in their first seven seasons. They also set a league attendance record of 25,218 in August 2019 when they sparred against the North Carolina Courage. And, since 2013, Portland Thorns have won the championship of the NWSL play-offs twice, reached the semi-finals three times and were named runners-up once.

“Our success was a confluence of several factors – a great women’s soccer tradition, terrific facilities including one of the best soccer venues in North America and the immediate and sustained success the Thorns had on the field,” says Mike Golub, President of Business at Portland Timbers and Thorns.

Looking back, no one at the C-suite level expected the lauded track record the club enjoys.

“There was no reason to believe that this was going to be a success near- or long-term because there wasn’t any precedent for it,” says Golub.

The initial excitement surrounding the two previous women’s leagues ultimately subsided, with each lasting only about three years. Despite the scepticism over long-term prospects, owner Merritt Paulson and top brass forged ahead to create Portland Thorns. This was a market known for its dedication to the women’s game across the sporting landscape.

“We felt that, for the game, it was the right thing to do,” explains Golub.

He credits some significant reasons for the club’s many achievements. Portland, Oregon boasts a long football history dating back to the 1970s. In 1975, the Portland Timbers entered into the first iteration of the North American Soccer League (NASL). Golub notes that several of the original Timbers remained visible either playing for respected clubs or raising the game in other ways.

Legendary Timbers player Clive Charles, in the squad from 1978-1981, went on to lead the women’s football team at the University of Portland in the mid-to-late 1980s and served as head coach for the women’s U-20 national team in the mid- 1990s. “So there’s been this culture around soccer for several decades—and that really plays a part in our success,” says Golub.

Infrastructure-wise, the Thorns stepped into an ideal set-up.

The club was the first to come under the same ownership as a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. At the time of the Thorns’ launch, the Timbers were the only MLS club to take a NWSL team.

”We are —and were from the start— one club,” says Golub.

While the on-the-pitch component has a dedicated staff, the business is run as one single entity.

“We’ve created an internal culture around that,” says Golub. It’s that one club, two teams mentality, giving equal weight to both, that creates the environment in which both teams thrive.

But, the Thorns rely solely on their reputation when it comes to attracting exceptional talent.

“I think if you’re a top women's soccer player you want to go somewhere where you can play in front of record crowds, to a city where the club is so embraced, to a place that has great facilities, and where you know the team and the club will be appreciated,” says Golub.

With consistent fan turnout, that appreciation shows. Gaining a large following around the team was relatively easy due, in part, to the level of play, says Golub. But, the benefit to a storied football culture is the sense that the game courses through the veins of its many fans. That was one of the reasons the Providence Park stadium got a USD 85 million renovation in 2017: to boost the fan experience while supporting greater seating capacity.

“Win or lose, Thorns fans are totally into this game,” says Golub. “There’s an intensity and a commitment to the club that’s really genuine. That’s at the heart of it. We’ve never marketed this as anything but the best women’s soccer in the world.”

Golub points to an exceptional general manager and coaching staff and their ability to identify and develop talent. But, equally, he points to the culture on the pitch. The chemistry underpins everything. “You’ve got to have talent and the right people in place, but you must also have the right chemistry,” he says.

That winning combination is clearly marked by a team effort. The 2021 Challenge Cup is a good example. Two out of the four games in which the Thorns participated were without their national-team players, yet the club went undefeated. It was not the first time either, as witnessed during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ when the Thorns lost the most members of any club who went to participate in the event. And, more than likely, it won't be the last.