2024 NWSL Draft, presented by Ally, set for Friday night, televised on ION

The 2024 NWSL Draft, presented by Ally, begins at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET Friday, January 12 and will be televised live on ION (for the the first two rounds, 8 to 10 p.m.) and streamed on ION Plus (all rounds, 8 p.m. to midnight).

Viewers can find access to ION in their areas or via streaming platforms by visiting https://iontelevision.com/find-us. Fans tuning in to the NWSL Draft outside the U.S. can watch the entirety of the event on Watch.NWSLSoccer.com.

The draft will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center during the United Soccer Coaches Convention. It is open to the public and free to attend. General admission seating is first-come, first-served.

There will be 56 picks in the draft with 14 selections in each of four rounds.

This is the first NWSL broadcast on ION since the announcement in November of a landmark distribution agreement involving Scripps Sports/ION, CBS Sports, ESPN and Prime Video. Scripps Sports will televise Saturday night doubleheaders on ION throughout the season. ION is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (Nasdaq: SSP). The NWSL season begins March 16.

The broadcast team:

• Lisa Carlin serves as a host, analyst and producer on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s “Attacking Third” show, covering the NWSL, the U.S. Women’s National Team and international women’s soccer. In addition, Carlin provides commentary for NWSL matches on Paramount+ and previously enjoyed announcing stints with Major League Soccer, FOX Sports, ESPN and more. Carlin, a former NCAA Division I soccer player, won two Big East championships at Marquette University. 
• Lori Lindsey is a former U.S. Women’s National Team Player whose professional playing career spanned 13 years. Most notably, she represented the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany and helped the team earn an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Lindsey is one of only four players to have played in all three of the U.S. professional women’s soccer leagues and now works in broadcast calling matches for ESPN, FOX Sports and CBS Sports. Lindsey currently serves as a lead analyst for MLS+ Apple TV Season Pass and was recently featured on the NWSL’s coverage of the 2023 NWSL Championship and the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft.
• Jordan Angeli currently serves as an analyst for CBS Sports Golazo Network’s “Attacking Third” show and as the face of Apple content for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. She previously spent three years as lead analyst for the MLS club Columbus Crew on Bally Sports after becoming the first woman in the Crew’s history to hold a full-time TV analyst position. Prior to her time at the Columbus Crew, she worked as both a radio analyst and an in-stadium host with the Rapids. A former player in the NWSL, Angeli’s career includes time spent with the Boston Breakers, Western New York Flash and the Washington Spirit. The 2023 NWSL season marked Angeli’s eighth year on the league’s broadcast team.   
• Anna Witte is an analyst for the NWSL, USL Championship and Big Ten Network and serves as a sideline reporter for college football and basketball on ESPN+. In addition to her analyst and sideline roles she hosts a podcast covering MLS and the NWSL called “Straight From The Pitch.” Witte also hosts and edits social media content at sporting events.
   

Some of the top story lines for this year’s draft:

• As of Monday, Utah Royals FC has the first and fourth picks in the draft. Bay FC has No. 2, Chicago Red Stars No 3 and North Carolina Courage No. 5. The full draft order can be found here.
• Utah Royals FC, based in Sandy, and Bay FC, based in San Jose, are new expansion teams that will join the league this season.
• More than 200 players have registered for this year’s draft, including top prospects Croix Bethune (Georgia), Maya Doms (Stanford) and Makenna Morris (Clemson). More information on this year’s draftees can be found here.