by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Dec 23, 2012

[NWSL] What do you when you have a 96 percent renewal rate in your season tickets and 6,500 fans on your waiting list? If you're MLS's Portland Timbers, you extend your brand. Thorns FC, Portland's team in the new NWSL, has already taken more than 2,000 season-ticket deposits for its first season, putting it on course to smash the season mark for a women's pro team.



In 2001, the Washington Freedom with Mia Hamm reported having more than 3,000 season tickets for WUSA's first season.



WPS season-ticket sales for its first season in 2009 ranged from 1,583 for the Chicago Red Stars to 408 for the St. Louis Athletica.



HARVEY TAKES REIGN JOB. Laura Harvey, who led Arsenal Ladies to three straight English titles, will take over as coach of Seattle Reign FC in January.



"Laura has the experience, talent and tenacity to drive our club to the highest levels of success," said Reign FC owner Bill Predmore in a statement. "Laura has proven that she can build a winning squad and has a track record of consistently delivering brilliant results."



Harvey, who took over as Arsenal Ladies manager midway through the 2009-10 season, has led the club to the semifinals of the UEFA Women's Champions League twice.



NWSL DRAFT. The first NWSL College Draft will take place Jan. 18 at the NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The draft will consist of four rounds and the order will be determined by a blind draw. Once the order is set, the draft will be conducted in a “snake” format (i.e. the teams will select 1-8 in the first round, 8-1 in the second round, 1-8 in the third round and 8-1 in the fourth round).



Players who have been out of college for a year or more are considered free agents. Teams will be allowed to sign free agents during a specific window of time, which will be determined soon. The U.S., Canadian and Mexican national team players will be allocated to clubs at a date to be determined.