Season 2003 | Champions Hampton Roads Piranhas | |
The 2003 W-League Season was the league's 9th.
Contents
Format changes
The league went to the standard FIFA match points format: 3 points for a win (down from the previous 4), 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss, and eliminated bonus points for 3 or more goals scored.
Name changes
One team changed their name in the off-season:
Expansion teams
One teams were added for the season:
Teams leaving
Three teams went to the WPSL:
Seven teams folded after the 2002 season:
Standings
Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Northeast Division
* - South Jersey had 3 points deducted for violations.
Format
Four teams from both the Central and Eastern Conferences and two from the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs. All playoff matchups were in single-leg elimination tournament format with the higher seeded team hosting until the national semifinals. Seeding was determined by league record, with Boston Renegades seeded first with 39 points. The host of the national semifinals was determined by bids at the 2002 USL Annual General Meeting.
In the Central and Eastern Conferences, the top two teams from each division played, and then divisional winners played for the conference championship and to advance to the national semifinals.
The top two teams in the Western Conference, having only one division, played each other to advance to the W-League Semifinals.
The Hampton Roads Piranhas received a bye into the W-League national semifinals as host, with the third-place team from the Atlantic Division receiving a playoff berth. The W-League championship final was televised live on Fox Sports World.
Conference Brackets
Central Conference
Eastern Conference
Western Conference