Amateur
WPSL announces addition of Philadelphia-based Love City FC
Philadelphia-based club Love City FC is joining the Women’s Premier Soccer League ahead of the 2026 season.
“By joining the WPSL, we are able to add a competitive pre-professional option for players in the city of Philadelphia, strengthening the player pathway for local talent,” Katie Van Aken, Love City FC co-owner and founder, said in a news release. “This is the first step on Love City FC’s mission to become the leading club in Philadelphia for women looking to compete at all levels, and to give the famous Philly sports fans a women’s team to cheer for.”
Love City FC was founded in 2025 with the mission of providing opportunities for girls and women to play soccer at all levels. They are overseen by Van Aken, Jami Dansingburg, and, and co-owner and principal advisor, Mick Weeks.
Van Aken is a Philadelphia-area native who played college soccer Haverford College and has been a member of the Fords’ coaching staff since 2014. She also serves as a coach for Safe-Hub Philadelphia, a nonprofit dedicated to community programs for kids in some of Philadelphia’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Dansingburg was an All-American goalkeeper at William Smith College before becoming head coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. where she also served as Assistant Director of the National Soccer Hall of Fame before its move to Frisco, Texas, guiding the rebranding and relaunch of the museum and raising $7.2 million for the surrounding facilities that hosted U.S. Men’s and Women’s international competitions and WUSA exhibition matches. Since moving to Philadelphia, she continues to coach at the youth level, with a focus on urban soccer program development while building a career in sports marketing and merchandising, serving as chief operating officer of Icarus Football, a custom uniform design company based in Philadelphia.
Weeks, a co-owner and principal in the club and a lifelong advocate for soccer, is a founding member of the U.S. Soccer Federation At-Large Development Council, where he serves as an ambassador for the game, provides leadership, and supports impact investing initiatives. With strong ties at both the local and national soccer communities, Weeks is focused on leveraging his professional experience working in the nonprofit sector focusing on youth development and community service, and leadership background to expand opportunities for women’s soccer in the Philadelphia region.
“Katie [Van Aken] and I had the experience of watching the U.S. Women’s National Team exit the 2023 Women’s World Cup much earlier than expected,” Weeks said in a news release. “I had conversations with the U.S. Soccer Federation leadership about what the U.S. needed to do next to ensure such an outcome did not occur again. I resolved then to work to find ways to contribute to helping move the women’s game forward in the U.S. This endeavor with WPSL in an underserved market like Philadelphia is a first step in that direction.”
Conference and division alignment will be announced at the WPSL Annual General Meeting January 30-31. The 28th WPSL season kicks off in mid-May, culminating with the WPSL Championships in July. The 2026 WPSL schedule will be announced in March.
Love City FC is the second local team to be announced as an expansion team for the 2026 season. The addition of a team from Kensington SC in December. Other area teams in the WPSL include Penn Fusion, SJEB FC, West-Mont United, Fever SC, Hex FC, Reading United, PA Classics, LVU Rush, Keystone FC, Delaware Ospreys and Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals.
