When the 49ers hosted the Titans in their preseason opener, the story on the field was about roster battles and first looks at the 2026 squad. But away from the scoreboard, Levi's Stadium turned into something bigger: a showcase for just how far women's professional sports have come in the Bay Area -- and how fast.

The occasion was the team's "Football for All" night, an initiative the 49ers started back in 2023 to spotlight the different communities that make up their fan base. This year's edition leaned hard into a storyline that's impossible to ignore if you've followed Bay Area sports lately -- the explosion of women's professional teams calling Northern California home. Representatives from Bay FC, the Golden State Storm, and San Francisco Signal were all on hand, mixing with Gold Rush cheerleaders and the Faithful in the stands.


It's worth pausing to consider how quickly this landscape has changed. Three years ago, none of these teams existed. Now Bay FC is in its third NWSL season, the Storm just wrapped up their first year of women's tackle and flag football, and Signal volleyball is gearing up to debut in LOVB Pro's inaugural season come January 2027. Throw in the Golden State Valkyries -- who couldn't make it to Levi's because they're in the thick of a WNBA playoff race -- and the Bay Area has quietly built one of the deepest women's sports ecosystems in the country, almost overnight.

Before kickoff, three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings got the honor of sounding the stadium's Pregame Fog Horn, flanked by athletes from the Storm and Signal -- a nice symbolic passing of the torch between a generation that broke ground and the one currently building on it.

Hearing It From the Athletes


The most interesting part of the night wasn't the pageantry, though -- it was catching up with three athletes living this shift in real time: Bay FC defender Alyssa Malonson, Signal middle blocker Julia Haggerty, and Storm running back Destanie Yarbrough.

Malonson, who's been with Bay FC since its inaugural 2024 season, put the growth in blunt terms: this isn't the sports landscape she grew up watching. Women's soccer barely registered on the radar when she was a kid, and now she's playing professionally in her own backyard as the sport's visibility climbs by the year.

For Haggerty, the moment carries extra weight. The Lafayette native came up playing club volleyball in the East Bay before starring at Carondelet High School, then went on to Boston College and a pro career overseas in France. Now she's coming home to be part of Signal's first-ever roster -- a homecoming that wouldn't have been possible without a Bay Area team to come home to. She's also seen the ripple effects hit youth levels directly, describing volleyball as one of the fastest-growing sports for young girls in the region right now.


Yarbrough's path is a little different. A four-time WNFC champion and former league MVP, she recently signed with the Storm ahead of the 2027 season after stepping away from football for a stretch. Even after just a week around the organization, she's noticed something distinct about the culture -- a group of women genuinely pulling for each other and trying to push something bigger than themselves forward.

Why It Matters Beyond the Scoreboard


Every one of these athletes circled back to the same theme when asked what the growth means in the future: representation. Haggerty never let herself dream about going pro as a kid because there simply weren't visible pathways in front of her. Malonson hopes today's young fans take advantage of chances to watch women compete at the highest level, something she didn't have much access to growing up. And Yarbrough's message to the next generation was straightforward -- find a mentor, build confidence, and don't stop.

None of this happened by accident. It's the product of leagues investing in new markets, teams building rosters from scratch, and -- nights like this one at Levi's -- bigger organizations using their platform to put a spotlight on it. The 49ers didn't just check a box with "Football for All." They put some of the most important builders of Bay Area women's sports in the same building on the same night, and let their stories do the talking.

The Niners handled their business against Tennessee. But the bigger win for the Bay Area might have happened in the stands.

Written By:

Nilesh Kumar


Nilesh Kumar is an NFL writer and sports journalist specializing in the San Francisco 49ers, the NFL, and college football. He covers breaking news, player analysis, trade rumors, roster moves, and feature stories. Nilesh Kumar's work has been published by Sports Illustrated, Heavy Sports, 49ers Webzone, VAVEL, and other sports publications. He provides timely, in-depth football coverage for readers around the world.
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