Orlando Pride owner Mark Wilf pledges commitment to change amid NWSL upheaval
The first three months of the Wilf family’s ownership of the Orlando Pride were filled with upheaval.
Former coach Marc Skinner abruptly left the team for a new job two days after the family acquired the club. Two months after the purchase, reports of harassment and abuse around the league rocked it and upended the previous power structures of the NWSL.
Now, co-owner and chairman Mark Wilf said he aims to set the precedent for player treatment and protection in Orlando.
“Obviously what’s going on in the league is concerning, but we feel hopeful that positive steps are happening,” Wilf said Thursday at the Pride’s training session. “We as an ownership want to make sure our team has as positive, safe and professional an environment as possible and we want to make sure the league has those values as well.
The NWSL has been focused on leadership change for the last month with the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns in the crosshairs.
Orlando Pride executive vice president Amanda Duffy was named to a committee to temporarily oversee the league after the resignation of commissioner Lisa Baird. She was joined on that committee by Kansas City co-owner Angie Long and OL Reign NWSL board representative Sophie Sauvage.
The league also hired an interim CEO — longtime FIFA and MLS executive Marla Messing — this week. Initially, the NWSL players association gave the league a list of demands with a hard deadline, but it has softened on the timetable because of Messing’s arrival which has led to improved communications.
After talking with players, Wilf said he was encouraged by the approach taken by Messing and the committee to level the league.
“We’re encouraged by a lot of the steps that have been taken so far, including hiring interim [CEO] Marla and the coordination with the players in terms of making sure investigations move forward,” Wilf said.
After coaches across the league were ousted for sexual harassment and abuse, captain Ali Krieger described the Pride as a model for the rest of the league. That’s a goal for Wilf, who said player protection will be a key focus for the family’s investment in the Pride over the offseason.
This includes creating resources for players to report concerns and communicate with the front office; improvement to team facilities; and an increase in budgeting to hire more staff members to facilitate the team.
Wilf said he’s also eager to boost staffing to increase marketing and advertising for the club.
“We’ve been in this in the professional sports business for close to 20 years,” Wilf said. “The Pride is no different. ... We’re in at a point where we have a lot of introspection, a lot of looking at what has gone wrong and how we can move forward, but I think there’s an opportunity here with the right investment.”
Wilf is balancing this structural overhaul with another immediate issue — finding a new head coach for the Pride.
Interim coach Becky Burleigh will get them through the final match of the 2021 season next Friday, Oct. 29. Although Burleigh suggested she might vie for the permanent position, Duffy has been leading the club in a search for a permanent replacement since Skinner’s departure in August.
Wilf said the club expects to complete the interview process quickly, but did not provide a timetable for the coaching announcement.
“We’re still in the midst of the interviews,” Wilf said. “Hopefully we’ll have that settled relatively soon because we have to get to work. We’re ready to begin looking at our roster, getting feedback from players and coaches on how we need to get better.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Julia Poe at jpoe@orlandosentinel.com.
