Exclusive Dating App Goes Live in Philadelphia

A dating app that is best known for how many people it keeps on its waiting list is expanding into the City of Brotherly Love. The League, described by Philadelphia Magazine as “everyone’s favorite dating app to hate” is opening up to a hand-selected pool of 2,001 people out of a wait list of over ten thousand.

The League just opened up its Philadelphia “founding class.” There’s currently a long waitlist to get in on it.

The League likes to bill itself as the anti-Tinder. It is designed for successful, ambitious, attractive young people to meet others like them. Prospects’ Facebook feeds and Linkedin profiles are scrupulously studied by live staff at The League. Having a good degree from a desirable school, a good job (and income to match), and a winsome face – shown off in high-quality photography – are all prerequisites.

The League’s founder, Amanda Bradford, said that she was discouraged by how short many dating apps fall when it comes to hooking up young, professional singles. Catfishers and scammers abound on other dating apps, she points out. “Online dating has typically not been great, especially for women who receive offensive messages and photos,” Bradford told a reporter for PhillyMag.com. She then took a shot at people who don’t take the time to construct a well-thought-out profile: “There are so many profiles that people clearly haven’t put a lot of time or effort into, and on certain apps, people just joke around and make fun of the process,” she said, “so I wanted to mitigate these kinds of behaviors from the beginning and build a community from the ground up.”

Philadelphia will be the seventh city in which The League is live, along with San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, DC and London. The dating app is rolling out in ten new cities this summer.

The League has not been free from criticism. There are those who call it elitist due to its emphasis on looks, income, and education.