PROVIDENCE — A newly created minor league women’s basketball league is expected to expand to Providence in 2027 — with games planned at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The UPSHOT League held its inaugural season earlier this year with four teams: in Jacksonville, Fla., Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C., and Savannah, Ga., and has already announced expansion teams in Baltimore and Nashville.
On social media, the league has been teasing another expansion team in New England, and records show Providence UPSHOT LLC was created on Sept. 14. The organization is referred to as a “professional minor league basketball team” in a business filing with the state.
Mark Walsh, a cofounder of the UPSHOT League, is listed as the manager of the Providence franchise. He declined to comment on Wednesday.
The bigger picture: Women’s basketball has exploded in popularity in recent years, and the UPSHOT League aims to be a feeder system to the WNBA, the top-tier league in the U.S.
More details on the Providence team could come as soon as next week, but the franchise is coming to New England as the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun moves to Houston beginning next season.
The Sports Business Journal reported that the UPSHOT League raised $40 million for its initial, 34-game regular season. Basketball Hall of Famers Tamika Catchings, Cheryl Miller, and Ann Meyers Drysdale are among the investors and advisers, the Journal reported.
The Charlotte Crown won the league’s championship in August, and star player Deja Kelly recently signed a developmental contract with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.