Union Omaha is bringing a women’s professional soccer team to Nebraska, and Owls chief operating officer Alexis Boulos is ready to showcase what women can do.
The club founded a professional men’s team in 2019, and after two USL League One titles, it’s adding a women’s team.
“Once we get the stadium built, Omaha’s ready for a women’s team,” Boulos told Hurrdat Sports. “Omaha loves its sports, and I think, as a community, this is just another great way for us to bring the women’s sports landscape to Omaha.”
The stadium is on track to be finished in 2028, with hopes of construction starting this year. Union Omaha’s goal is to have the men’s team playing at the new facility in the spring of 2028, with the women to follow starting in 2030.
Boulos said that by creating a women’s team, Union Omaha can spread awareness about women in sports and the sport of soccer.
“To have young women participating in professional soccer that our girls and young ladies in Omaha and state-wide can look up to both from an athletic perspective, but on a personal level,” Boulos said of the women’s team’s significance. “There’s amazing things that come from watching women leadership on and off the field. I think it will be a great way for our community to grow and embrace the sport but also grow and embrace professional women’s athletics.”
The team is doing its part to support women’s athletics before the stadium is built. Members of the club will be attending the Women’s Fund Luncheon on Oct. 22.
The Women’s Fund of Omaha is an organization that aims to advance “community-driven actions to innovate, advocate and shift systems toward gender equity.”
“Union Omaha wants to support all facets of our community, so it’s an exciting way for us to bring more attention to soccer and advocacy in Omaha,” Boulos said.
Union Omaha’s motto is “Ones Means All,” which symbolizes that everyone in the Omaha community who supports the club is a valued member and part of the team. Sponsoring the Women’s Fund Luncheon is just one way to execute the philosophy upon which the club is built.
“That is something that the Women’s Fund is doing in advocating for women across the state, is providing opportunities for programming, providing opportunities for women and girls in research and funding, and advocacy across the state, and that’s a community that we love to support,” Boulos said. “It just seemed like a great fit and a perfect match, not only from our missions, but also for our growth plan.”
Boulos will have the chance to hear from one of women soccer’s best when she attends the Women’s Fund luncheon. Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Abby Wambach will be the keynote speaker, and Boulos said she’s excited to hear her message.
“What better person to learn from, from a leadership perspective but also from how soccer speaks to leadership and community across everything, all aspects of life,” Boulos said. “Abby’s an amazing leader and has done amazing things in the sport and in the community, so we’re excited to be a small part of bringing her to Omaha.”
Union Omaha poses for a photo after capturing the USL League One title. Courtesy Alexis Boulos.
Omaha has always been home for Boulos, and she’s played a large role in shaping some of the biggest sporting events in the city over the years. The Omaha Westside graduate has worked at the professional and collegiate levels in sports broadcasting and sports management. She’s worked with Creighton, ESPN, the PGA Tour and others. Prior to joining Union Omaha in 2024, she served as the director of operations for the Pinnacle Bank Championship for eight years.
Boulos said she’s enjoyed learning from others and taking a leadership role after only playing youth sports.
“Sports are a community event regardless of what the sport is, so being able to continue to participate in that at some level is what keeps me in sports.” Boulos said.
Her path to success wasn’t easy, though. Boulos said she found herself the only woman in the room at times, which forced her to fight for equality. This included pay rates, having her voice heard and more.
“It’s been working extremely hard to show that I am committed, that I have an immense amount of experience to bring to the table, and that my gender doesn’t change the amount of work that I do,” Boulos said. “My gender does not change my commitment to whatever job or whatever position I’m in. That shouldn’t impact people’s trajectory and their careers, and that shouldn’t impact how they’re able to lead an organization.”
Boulos has led Union Omaha well, and said she’s enjoyed representing Nebraska in the process.
“A lot of the people that we interact with on a daily basis and a lot of the people that I get to talk to and work with in the community are people that I know,” Boulos said. “They’re people that I grew up with, people that I’ve known since I was a child or people that I went to high school with, or went to college with, or moved away and came back. So to be able to continue to intertwine a lot of those connections and intertwine a lot of that community and what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis is extremely exciting.”
To those young girls that look up to Boulos and want to work in sports, her message is that anything is possible.
“It’s fun and it’s challenging and it’s exciting, and there are moments that make it really, really tough, but they can do anything,” Boulos said.
For now, Boulos and Union Omaha will keep working to advance women’s sports while supporting them however they can.
“In the last three years, there’s been a lot of change, there’s been a lot of growth and there’s been a lot of success,” Boulos said. “It’s been exciting, and I’ve been extremely proud to be a part of any and all of it.”
