Sports business Subscriber Only Tourism & Recreation 🔒 Women’s soccer team will play at Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium Like the Portland Hearts of Pine men's pro soccer team, the new women's team will play at Fitzpatrick Stadium after getting the green light this week from the City Council. PHOTO / CHRIS LINSCOTT By Tina Fischer June 17, 2026 Copy URL 🔒 Women’s soccer team will play at Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium&body=https://mainebiz.biz/article/womens-soccer-team-will-play-at-portlands-fitzpatrick-stadium/" title="Email" > Email Facebook X Linkedin The women’s squad will kick off its inaugural season in 2027 with eight games at the city-owned facility. Already a Subscriber? Log in Get Instant Access to This Article Subscribe to Mainebiz and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more. Learn More and Become a Subscriber Critical Maine business news updated daily. Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website. Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication. Special bonus issues like the Mainebiz Book of Lists. Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events. Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article A pre-professional women's soccer team being launched by the Portland Hearts of Pine has the green light to play its eight-game inaugural 2027 season at the city's Fitzpatrick Stadium. The Portland City Council voted 8-1 Monday night to approve the team’s use of the city-owned venue, as an amendment to the city’s contract with the organization. ADVERTISEMENT Hearts of Pine is owned by a group of local investors, including Maine Mariners owner Dexter Paine . The new women’s team will compete in the USL W League , a pre-professional women’s soccer league for collegiate athletes. The men’s soccer team will play 25 games at the stadium in its 2027 season. City Council member Pious Ali, councilor at large, said the additional usage by the women’s team will not affect the use of the facility by other groups. Councilor Regina Phillips, who represents District 3, questioned what can be done to allow the women to play the same number of games as the men. Ethan Hipple, director of parks and recreation, explained that the team had requested to use the stadium for just eight games for its inaugural season. Hannah Sirois, vice president of fan experience for Hearts of Pine, added that the women’s league can only play during the summer when college is not in session. Council member Kate Sykes, who represents District 5, said she fully supports the new women’s team. However, she voted against approval, saying the process did not appear to have taken into account the need for practice dates and use of the facility by other teams. ADVERTISEMENT Speaking in support of the women’s team, Travis Kroot, board member with Hearts of Pine’s fan organization Dirigo Union, told the Council that all 5,000 deposits for 2027 tickets sold out within the first hour "for a team that’s not even going to play until next year.” The Hearts of Pine have not yet announced a name for the women's team. Learn more about: Portland Portland Hearts of Pine Sports business Subscriber Only Tourism & Recreation – Digital Partners -
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: mainebiz.biz