In January 2022, NWSL club Racing Louisville FC added an amateur team to compete in the newly formed USL W League,[1] becoming the first NWSL club to do so. This followed the club's academy opening in 2020 and completed its developmental pathway from youth soccer to top-division professional play.[2] The club hired an all-female technical staff to lead the team, with Kincaid Schmidt as its inaugural head coach and former NWSL player Libby Stout as assistant coach.[3]
In the 2023 USL W League season, Racing finished in a tie on points for first place in the Valley division with eventual national championship finalists Indy Eleven with a greater goal differential, but second due to the first tiebreaker being head-to-head record and did not advance to the conference playoffs. The team's only loss and draw on its 8–1–1 season record were against Indy.[4][5]
Racing Louisville FC has played its USL W League matches at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center,[6] which also serves as the parent club's training facility,[7] since its inception.[1]
Most of Racing's W League squad are drawn from colleges and Racing's youth academy.[8] The professional Racing Louisville club has signed players from its W League club, including Isabella Beletic[9] and Allison Whitfield[10] in 2022. Racing Academy and W League player Ella Sanchez was a non-roster invitee to the professional team's 2023 preseason.[11] Racing's Emily Madril was one of 19 W League players to sign a professional contract, with Orlando Pride, after the league's inaugural season.[12]