Mexico will debut a professional women’s basketball league in 2022, with the Guadalajara-based Astros de Jalisco set to be among the founding franchises.

Astros President Teo Zubía said the new Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil was “long overdue” and he was hopeful that “women’s basketball will now gain the strength it deserves.”

The start of the National Women’s Professional Basketball League is scheduled for mid-April. 

Zubía said the Astros have already begun “conversations with national and international players.”

The Guadalajara-based Astros were runners-up in the 2021 LMBP season in only their third year in the league.

The league will also feature female teams from other franchises in the men’s pro league (the LMBP), including Fuerza Regia of Monterrey, the Soles de Mexicali and the Libertadores de Querétaro.