page_title: Major women's sport leagues in North America
section_title: Women's soccer leagues
hierarchical_section_title: Major women's sport leagues in North America / Women's soccer leagues
caption_attribution_description: English: Seattle Reign FC vs Boston Breakers, April 13, 2014 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle, Washington
context_page_description: Major women's sport leagues in North America represent the top level competitions of team sports for women athletes. Currently, top women's leagues include Women's National Basketball Association and the National Women's Soccer League, Liga MX Femenil, National Pro Fastpitch, Canadian Women's Hockey League, National Women's Hockey League, Women's Flat Track Derby Association, and the National Ringette League.
  Some individual sports featuring women are also popular in North America, including tennis and golf. The LPGA Tour and WTA Tour were both founded in the United States and host events around the world.
context_section_description: Women's soccer is especially developed in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Canada. The United States women's national soccer team was established in 1985, the Canada women's national soccer team in 1986, the first continental women's league in 1995, then a professional league in 2001. At 900,000 in 1980, the number of women' players passes in 1.5 million in 1985 then 2 million in 1990, to peak in 3 million in 1995 to fall again in 2.7 million in 2000. The success of the women's American national team has not translated into consistent success for women's professional soccer in the United States; the current top professional league, the National Women's Soccer League, is the country's third (and longest-lasting) attempt to establish such a competition.
caption: Penalty kick for the Seattle Reign.
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