New NWSL NWSLPA CBA Gives Players More Money, Freedom, Opportunity, No Draft

By Barry Janoff

Photo: NWSL 'We Play Here'August 22, 2024: Declaring it “historic,” the National Women’s Soccer League and the NWSL Players Assn. have agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, extending the current contract by four years to 2030.

The new CBA will take effect before the current one, negotiated in 2022, expires after the 2026 season.

For players, the new CBA means more money, more freedom, more power — including no trades without player consent and guaranteed contracts — expanded parental leave and childcare benefits, more support for physical and mental health care, improved travel policies and accommodations and eliminating the Draft and Expansion Draft.

The NWSLPA said the NWSL would be the first American major pro league to eliminate the Draft.

“Now, players can choose the team environment that fits their needs and maximizes their opportunities,” NWSLPA president Tori Huster said via the organization.

Said NWSLPA vp Simone Charley, “When the players win, everyone wins.”

According to NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke, “Players drew a clear, firm line that now is the time to accomplish what some have said should never be done.”

Among the commitments made by NWSL owners in the new agreement is to “align NWSL standard player agreements with FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, granting unrestricted free agency, guaranteeing all contracts, eliminating the NWSL Discovery Rule, Draft and future Expansion Drafts.

“All trades, intra-league or inter-league transfers will require player consent.”

The new CBA also “significantly raises the minimum salary, sets the annual salary cap and creates incentive alignment for players and clubs by increasing the salary cap based on league revenues.”

The base salary cap for the NWSL will nearly double over the term of the agreement, from $3.3M million in 2025 to $5.1 million in 2030, “with an expectation of further increases based on the revenue sharing model, further incentivizing a collective ambition to grow NWSL revenues.

The NWSL maintains the unilateral ability to raise the Base Salary Cap further at its discretion.

There is no limit for an individual player’s maximum annual salary, and the league-minimum salary will more than double over the course of the CBA, from $48,500 in 2025 to $82,500 in 2030.

“Given our vision to be the best league in the world, we determined that this was the right time to align with global standards and achieve long term labor peace,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said via the league.

“This CBA gives us agency over our business and gives the players agency over their careers. Our new agreement revolutionizes the game, raises standards, and innovates the business.”

The new CBA comes as the NWSL is experiencing growth on and off the pitch in finances, attendance, media and marketing.

This past November, the NWSL signed new media deals with ESPN, Amazon Prime, CBS Sports and Scripps Sports ION, valued at $240 million, the largest such alliance in women’s sports and some 40-times more than the current NWSL $1.5 million media deal, according to industry analysts.

The league said the deals would give the NWSL four times the exposure it currently has.

The league expanded from 12 to 14 teams this season with Bay FC and the Utah Royals, and will increase to 16 with Boston in 2026 and another franchise to be named by the end of 2024.

In July, Angel City FC was sold for $250 million, “making it the most valuable women's sports team in the world,” according to new owners Willow Bay and Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Co.

Under the neew CBA, virtually all end-of-season competition bonuses will double their current value beginning in 2027, including those awarded for the NWSL Shield and Championship winners, Best XI, Rookie of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and the NWSL’s Golden Boot. The NWSL’s Most Valuable Player award will quadruple.

Parental leave and childcare benefits will be further expanded under the new agreement, and mental health services and mental health leave policies will be broadened.

In addition, mandates for the number of health professionals utilized by each club will rise from six to ten, including physicians, athletic trainers, a physical therapist, a sports scientist, a licensed mental health provider and massage therapists.

Travel policies and accommodation requirements will be adjusted to the new terms of the agreement.

Charter flights are allowed for up to six legs within the league season, and additional charter flights are required in a variety of scenarios to ensure player health and safety requirements are satisfied.

And to maximize the commercial benefit, “players will be more accessible to the fans and media, and the NWSL has the exclusive rights to commercialize player performance data.”

“The NWSL prioritized terms to ensure that the league can attract, develop and retain the most talented players in the world,” NWSL chief sporting director Tatjana Haenni said via the league.

“Soccer is a uniquely global game with roots in every country, and the new CBA allows us to offer the world’s most elite training and playing environment, giving players the ability to succeed at the top national and international competitions.”

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