The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun will soon be joined by a second women’s professional sports team in the state.
The SoNo Sharks, based in South Norwalk, will become one of four inaugural teams in the first Women’s Professional Squash League when the team debuts in the spring of 2025.
The team is being formed by MSquash Academy, a training school for the sport with locations at 85 Water St. in Norwalk and 23 Waterfront Place in Port Chester, N.Y.
The Sharks will be coached by Katline Cauwels, a former player who in October was named the 2024 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Coach of the Year.
“This is an extraordinary moment for the sport of squash,” Cauwels said, adding that the goal “is to inspire the next generation, especially the young women in our academy, to dream big and achieve greatness.”
Players will be paid match appearance fees, which will range from $500 to $5,000 per match, depending upon the skill level of the player.
The Sharks will participate in a league draft on March 15. Based at the MSquash SoNo facility in Norwalk, the team will bring “elite-level squash” to the local community, officials said. The draft will be available to watch live on YouTube, but the location for the draft has not yet been announced.
The league’s three other women’s teams will be the DC Inferno, the Philadelphia Freedom and the Cleveland Beacons.
Note: This article was updated with additional information about the draft, player compensation and the other teams in the league.
