CLEVELAND — It may be another three years before a WNBA team hits the court here in Cleveland, but anticipation is sky-high in the land. Building on early momentum, Rock Entertainment Group and Cleveland WNBA announced the appointment of Allison Howard as the first president of the expansion team.

Howard will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers until the end of the 2025-26 NBA season, while initiating and activating operations for the new WNBA team as President of Business Operations for the Cleveland WNBA.

Here’s how a news release from REG and Cleveland WNBA defined her new role: “Howard will oversee all aspects of the franchise’s business operations. This includes culture and team member development, community engagement, fan experience and the commercial operations of the organization.”

Howard sat down with News 5 anchor Rob Powers to share her excitement for the role and the future of the WNBA in our city.

“It has been a tremendous journey full of so many amazing experiences,” she said of her 20 years working in sports. Howard said it has always been REG’s hope to expand its properties beyond the Cleveland Charge, Cleveland Monsters, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

“So, we were just thrilled when about six months ago we could officially tell the world that the WNBA is coming back to Cleveland.”

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Fans were thrilled, too. Within hours of sales going live online, thousands of $28 deposits had been paid by fans looking to secure season tickets for the team’s inaugural season. Howard said the number has jumped to “well over” 6,000.

“It is actually really important to get your initial payment in because there are special benefits that we are going to be offering to those initial payment holders, and they will be time-stamped.”

That means when it’s time to start allocating seat locations for those season ticket holders, the team will know who put their money down first, and those die-hard fans will be rewarded.

While enthusiasm is high for this new franchise, it’s going to be a long three years before we get to see the team play. In the meantime, Howard told Powers they’ll keep building momentum.

“We have a lot of stuff that’s already going on out in the community, which really is our favorite thing to be able to do,” she said.

That includes an “All For Fun Tour” making stops all over the community, along with clinics and camps for the kids. They’re also checking out Tennis in the Land this week.

Over the next several months, the team will really hone in on defining its brand.

“We have a nice long orange runway to help us,” Howard said, referencing the WNBA’s signature color. (They were all in on orange before Taylor Swift!) Fans will play a role in that process.

“What do you want this team to be? What do you want it to represent? Where do you want us to show up? How do you want us to show up? And we really, we take all of that information and really digest it, and that goes into creating this brand that will be for everybody.”

We know what you all really want to know: When do we get a name for the team?

“The name, the brand identity, the logo, the colors, hopefully the mascot, we have plans to unveil that in early 2026,” Howard said. “So, it’s really not that far off when we think about it.”

Early 2026 is definitely a shorter wait than 2028. While we wait for those breadcrumbs to keep dropping, you can get hyped for the new franchise here.