The money, the interest, and the desire seem to all be just right to bring a Women’s National Basketball Association team to Austin. It’s an idea Fran Harris, a former University of Texas at Austin basketball star, has been leading the charge on for roughly a year.
Since then, the WNBA has exploded in popularity, and interest in an Austin team has grown, said Harris, who led the UT women’s basketball team to an NCAA Championship title during the 1985-86 season.
In an interview with City Cast Austin, Harris says she already has a controlling owner for the potential team and minority investors. (Harris couldn’t share names.)
“I got an email three weeks ago from somebody in Switzerland who said, ‘Hey I would love to invest in your team.’ And I was like, ‘Wait what?’” Harris said. “The money is not the challenge. And who would have thought that would be the case in women’s sports, even five years ago?”
So, what’s happening right now? Here’s where Austin stands:
- Harris is working on finding a potential practice facility. So far, she’s found sites in Central Austin and some on the outskirts of the city, including near Kyle.
- Harris is in the process of finalizing a packet about why a team would work in Austin for WNBA officials to review.
- A decision could come as early as the first three months of the year, or in October.
- Yes, Harris does have a team name picked out. But she’s keeping that a secret for now. “If this name does not make it as the final name, I’m going to be really shocked because it is that perfect,” Harris said.
Harris said Austin is ready for a WNBA team because the city has basketball fans, and Austinites seem to be craving a big team to cheer for, made evident by the near-instant support Austin FC received. She’s hopeful that if Austin gets a team, games will become an essential community gathering place.
“If there’s a choice between you going to church on Sunday and we have a game at 2 (p.m.), I want you to be in a pickle about it,” Harris said.
🏀 Would you go to an Austin WNBA game?
We originally reported the wrong amount of time Harris has been working on getting the WNBA to Austin. We regret the error.
