On Wednesday nights this summer, the outdoor courts at North Coast Yard are turning into Cleveland’s unofficial stage for women’s basketball. The P League’s new women’s summer series is pulling in dozens of players and onlookers under the downtown skyline, with games rolling into the evening. For a lot of the women on the court, it is one of the few local chances to really compete, get seen, and get reps ahead of the city’s incoming WNBA franchise.
Games run at North Coast Yard, 515 Erieside Avenue, where P-League Basketball and Plai Makr Sports organize both men’s and women’s leagues. According to North Coast Yard's event page, the courts are open for community use on weekdays, and the women’s league anchors a weekly Wednesday slate with games starting around 6 p.m. The pop-up park opened in 2025 as part of the North Coast Master Plan, a new pop-up park to enliven the lakefront. Organizers say the simple set-up of short matchups on asphalt courts, framed by the city skyline, helps draw in passersby and casual fans who hear the music, the whistles, and the trash talk and decide to stick around.
More than 100 women are in the organizing group chat started by P League founder Nik Postoloski, and this is the first year the league has run a dedicated women’s division at North Coast Yard, organizers told News 5 Cleveland. "I love basketball. I would do anything for basketball," Ariana Gray said, describing what it means to play in a visible downtown setting instead of hunting for scattered pickup runs. Fellow player Michaella Angelo said the series brought back her love for the game and created a rare space for women to consistently play in Cleveland again.
A Local Platform Ahead of a WNBA Team
The timing is not an accident. The WNBA announced in June 2025 that Cleveland had secured an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2028. The new team is part of a broader growth plan for the league, according to The Washington Post. For players grinding it out at North Coast Yard, that looming arrival turns every drive, jumper, and defensive stop into something a little bigger than just another summer run.
Growing Audiences Give Local Hoops Momentum
National interest in women’s basketball is surging, and Cleveland’s lakefront scene is riding that wave. ABC and ESPN’s WNBA broadcasts averaged about 1.3 million viewers across 25 regular-season games in 2025, and the 2025 NCAA women’s tournament peaked at roughly 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, according to the NCAA. Organizers say those kinds of numbers help explain why a local outdoor league suddenly feels timely, and why it might double as a pipeline for both talent and future ticket-buyers.
What Comes Next for Women’s Hoops in Cleveland
For now, the P League is keeping it simple: low-cost entry, competitive games, bragging rights, and a chance to build real local rivalries. Players and organizers say the series keeps talent active, gives women a visible home court, and plants seeds for a fan base before the city’s WNBA team ever takes the floor.
If you want in on it, the game plan is easy. Head down to North Coast Yard on a Wednesday evening, grab a spot along the fence or on the sidelines, and watch Cleveland’s women's hoops run the lakefront while the city waits for its WNBA debut.
