The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), which was co-founded by former Oakland A’s coach Justine Siegal, has chosen San Francisco as one of its four founding cities for its inaugural 2026 season, along with Los Angeles, New York, and Boston.

As the Chronicle reports, the WPBL announced Tuesday that its decision to choose San Francisco as one of four cities taking part in the league’s inaugural season next year was boosted by the recent success of the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA and Bay FC in the National Women’s Soccer League — as well as the community support surrounding both teams.

“We feel there is tremendous support there in the future of women’s sports, and we think that community will really embrace the women’s baseball league,” said Keith Stein, who co-founded the league with former A’s coach Justine Siegal, per the Chronicle. “We understand the sort of cosmopolitan climate, and we feel we have a sense for the values and thinking of the San Francisco community, and we just think it really aligns well with everything our league stands for, and everything we want to accomplish.”

Per the Chronicle, the 2026 season’s games will be played in neutral cities across the country to help spread the word about the league, with exhibition games potentially taking place in the four teams’ cities, including San Francisco’s Oracle Park. The WPBL had tryouts in August and will be drafting 120 top players from a “star-studded list” to fill 15 spots on each team, which don’t have names yet, per the Chronicle.

“Each of the inaugural cities carries deep baseball roots and a passionate fanbase. They’re iconic baseball towns that share our belief that women deserve a place in professional baseball. From the storied rivalries of the Northeast to the innovation and energy of the West Coast, the WPBL’s first four teams create a natural balance,” WPBL organizers wrote in a statement, per KRON4.

Per KRON4, Oakland Ballers player Kelsie Whitmore is one of the most sought-after candidates on the list. “Known for her versatility as both a pitcher and outfielder, she brings a combination of power and poise,” WPBL wrote. Other standouts include pitcher Ayami Sato from Japan and Mo’ne Davis, who made history in the Little League World Series.

KPIX spoke to some local sports fans about the announcement. Matthew Atencio, co-director of the Center for Sport and Social Justice at Cal State East Bay, told KPIX he hopes the league will inspire more young girls to play sports, noting that inclusion and representation have strong roots in the Bay Area.

“There’s definitely something going on here in terms of our history, in terms of how we view the inclusion of women and girls in sports; we find it very, very important,” Atencio told KPIX. “We have a long history of that. And as we’ve come past the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation, the Bay Area has really set the standard in terms of girls and women’s sports participation.”

Sara Yergovich, co-owner of Rikki’s, San Francisco’s only women’s sports bar, told KPIX she stopped playing baseball at age 14 due to the lack of support and representation for women in baseball. “I didn’t know that there were other girls out there that played baseball at all, so to go from that, and to stop playing when I was 14  because there wasn’t really a future in it to now having a women’s sports bar and having a new team in the Bay Area for women’s baseball. I can’t even believe it,” Yerogvich said. “The younger me couldn’t believe it.”

Per KRON4, the WPBL is the second US professional women’s baseball league in history after the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, as depicted in the film, A League of Their Own, which ran from 1943 to 1954.

Image: WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 25: Mia Kruspe celebrates after hitting a double in a scrimmage during tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League at Nationals Park on August 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)