Portland, Oregon, is continuing to stake its claim as the “epicenter of women’s sports.”
The city makes a strong case with its professional teams, like the top-performing Portland Thorns FC, which draws massive crowds. Then there’s the resurgence of the Portland Fire, the WNBA team that will debut this year.
Now factor in the Portland Cascade, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League expansion team that will call Oregon its home.
The team kicked off its introduction to the city on Thursday with a packed press conference. Jessica Mendoza, Olympic gold medalist and AUSL advisor, echoed the city’s assertion.
“Portland is the epicenter of women’s sports. And I wouldn’t have said that if we didn’t bring softball here,” Mendoza said.
The Cascade are one of six teams in the AUSL and will play a 25-game regular season this summer at Hillsboro Ballpark. Last year, the league began with four teams, operating in a touring model that visited 12 cities across the country. The addition of Cascade and home markets signals milestones for the AUSL as it becomes a city-based professional softball league.
Commissioner Kim Ng remarked how it was a challenge to choose just six markets for the league’s beginnings, but that Portland was a natural fit. She said when the opportunity presented itself for the AUSL to settle in the Pacific Northwest, “we pounced.”
“This market has shown it will support women’s sports on a large scale basis, and quite simply, you all show up,” Ng said. “To put a deal like this together in such a short period of time requires passion, commitment, and a true belief that you are enriching the lives of those in your community,” Ng said.
The franchise started efforts to reach that community later in the evening, celebrating at The Sports Bra with Cascade leadership, athletes, and new fans.
The Sports Bra factors into Portland’s contention as the end-all be-all of women’s sports. When it opened in 2022, it was the country’s first sports bar dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.
Patrons flock to the bar, just like they do for the teams in the area. The Thorns boast not only three NWSL championships but the best attendance in the league, averaging over 18,000 fans at home games. Portland broke ground in April 2025 on a $150 million, first-of-its-kind training facility shared by the Thorns and the Fire, setting a new standard for women’s sports.
More soccer will come to the city soon, too, with a new semi-pro team called the Cherry Bombs, who will compete in the USL Women’s league.
“Our track record to support women’s sports is unmatched,” Jim Etzel, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Oregon, said. “We have a long history of championship success and fan support for all our collegiate athletic sports programs at the women’s level, going back decades, pre-Title IX.”
Much of the groundwork was laid by successful women’s collegiate sports programs at Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks are often NCAA Tournament contenders in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. The Beavers have excelled in volleyball, soccer, and golf. Closer to home is Portland State University, which also uses Hillsboro Ballpark for its athletic teams.
Etzel mentioned the thriving softball community in the area established by the success of the Ducks, Beavers, and PSU Vikings, as well as the Division II, D-III, and NAIA levels that “consistently make it to the World Series and their divisions and win,” he said.
In July, the city hosted the inaugural “Epicenter: Women’s Global Sports Summit.” It was a four-day celebration that brought together fans, athletes, teams, guest speakers, and global leaders in the space. The event marked the launch of Portland’s effort to become the global epicenter of women’s sports.
The Cascade is not without its own Pacific Northwest connections on the roster. Washington standout Sis Bates and Oregon’s gold glove winner Paige Sinicki were both selected by the team in the expansion draft.
“I feel like the luckiest human that’s ever existed to be here,” Bates said. “I get emotional when I think about being a little girl and being in the stands and being able to see what our league is doing.”
Bates grew up in central California and remembers watching the Huskies on TV when they won the 2009 Women’s College World Series. That drew her north to the PNW, where she even stayed two years after college to coach and work at her alma mater.
She talked about trying to describe the friendliness of the town paired with the vigor with which they cheer for their home teams to her Cascade teammates.
“I feel like you have to be here and you have to experience it. I’m so excited for [my teammates] and for the community.”
Opening Day for the Cascade is June 9, but their first home series begins on June 18 with a three-game series vs. the Oklahoma City Spark. Season tickets are on sale now.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.