In Year 2 of AUSL, Ng is taking the league to new markets primed for pro softball

NEW YORK -- As commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), Kim Ng has a job that, in many ways, closely resembles what commissioners of pro men’s leagues do. She is responsible for scouting out sites for potential expansion, examining revenue numbers and evaluating ideal broadcast partners.

There is, however, one major difference between Ng’s role and other commissioners’ jobs.

Her league started last year.

In Year 1, thanks to substantial financial backing from Major League Baseball, the AUSL began with four teams that embarked on a nationwide barnstorming tour. The inaugural clubs were the Chicago Bandits, Texas Volts, Utah Talons and Carolina Blaze, and they played to an average stadium capacity of 90% while generating 24 total sellouts.

Just one year later, the AUSL is making some major structural changes, starting with two new teams: the Portland Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark. Why these markets? Well, Oklahoma City hosts the Women’s College World Series for softball and will host women’s softball in the 2028 Olympics. It’s also home to the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Meanwhile, Portland has pushed to be “the global epicenter of women’s sports” and held an event last year called “Epicenter: Women’s Global Sports Summit” geared toward this goal. It boasts two professional women’s sports franchises already, the WNBA’s Portland Fire and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. Additionally, the Hillsboro Hops -- the High-A D-backs affiliate -- are moving into a new stadium in 2027, which left a perfectly timed opening for an AUSL team in Portland.

“The authenticity of the market, the fervor with which they show up for women's sports, was just off the charts,” Ng said at a recent media event at MLB’s New York offices. “And so when that venue became available, we pounced.”

Though Ng said that the existence of a WNBA team is not necessarily a factor in choosing a potential AUSL market, once the city has been selected, there has been cross-promotion between the leagues. For example, members of the Portland Fire attended the press conference announcing the creation of the Cascade. Ng also acknowledged the potential value in shared fanbases and facilities in a region with multiple pro women’s teams.

Securing a home stadium for the Portland Cascade is part of another big change for the AUSL. Instead of barnstorming, the six teams will play all their home games at a single stadium. Here’s where they’ll call home in 2026:

• Chicago Bandits – Rosemont, Ill.
• Carolina Blaze – Durham, N.C.
• Oklahoma City Spark – Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Portland Cascade – Hillsboro, Ore.
• Texas Volts – Round Rock, Texas
• Utah Talons – Salt Lake City, Utah

While last year built up strong attendance momentum, Ng believes that having a proper home market will make a big difference in generating excitement for these teams. It’s what most sports fans are used to. They need to know their team will be regularly accessible nearby. On the flip side, having a dedicated home market is also easier for the players. They can have a more established routine and build stronger relationships with the home fans. It’s a win-win all around.

“This is the traditional nature of sports, and so that's where we've pivoted to,” Ng said.

To support the new teams, the AUSL will receive a major boost in broadcast distribution. The amount of total games is increasing by 26%, from 73 in 2025 to 92 in 2026. ESPN platforms will be broadcasting 51 of those games in ‘26, up from 40 in 2025, and Game 1 of the 2026 AUSL Championship on ABC will mark the first pro softball game on broadcast television. Additionally, CBS Sports Network joins the AUSL as a new broadcast partner for 20 games, and MLB Network is increasing its AUSL broadcasts from five to 11.

Ng noted that MLB’s 2025 AUSL coverage on MLB Network and its editorial and social platforms was instrumental in growing the players’ brands to new softball viewers. She added that several AUSL athletes will be throwing out first pitches at MLB games this year. All of these touchpoints solidify the connection between pro baseball and pro softball in the eyes of prospective fans – and potential corporate sponsors.

Other multi-year partners have joined the AUSL in Year 2, including Sephora, adidas and Goodr. For the league to eventually be self-sustaining, it will have to maintain and grow its list of sponsors year after year. With AUSL’s help, these sponsors can help the players build their brands on and off the field, just like MLB players often supplement their salaries with endorsements.

The crux of all this expansion is that AUSL games will be much more accessible for fans in-person and on TV in Year 2, and the players will have bigger platforms than ever. Ng couldn’t be more thrilled about this prospect.

“We just have to make sure that we are buttoned up and driving hard on all eight cylinders to get that commercial engine working,” she said. “And it entails having the athletes feel like they are part of this process and understanding that they are a cog in this wheel.”

So, what might be in store for the AUSL longer-term? When asked about future expansion, Ng said that they’re “going to do their due diligence” to evaluate potential sites. She’d love to eventually have a team in California, and she mentioned Atlanta as an East Coast city she’s interested in. Ng also addressed whether she’d welcome additional owners, saying that she is “entertaining all” possibilities about the state of the AUSL’s future ownership.

A couple of weeks after Ng’s comments, the AUSL announced that it is welcoming two new investors to its ownership group, the Brewers – the first Major League club to invest directly in the AUSL – and Ryan Sanders Baseball.

“If eventually you do want other owners, you have to show them different markets and what it could look like,” she said. “Instead of everyone having to imagine what it could look like, you want to show them what it does look like.”

This summer, six cities around the country have the chance to do just that.