The National Women’s Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association started formal negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.
This would be the first CBA created between the league and its players. The agreement will govern terms and conditions of employment, including player compensation, benefits, travel arrangements and player safety and health.
The process of collective bargaining will also allow players to contribute more input on a formal level for the development of the league as it enters its ninth season.
The two parties began this process at the end of 2020 with conversations between representatives for the league and the players, along with their respective counsel.
“The sustainability of our league is inextricably linked to the stability of players’ careers,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement released Tuesday. “Through this CBA, we seek to secure stability, equity, and longevity of a playing career in NWSL for all players.”
Washington Spirit midfielder Tori Huster is the 2021 president of the players association. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod and defender Toni Pressley are the player representatives for the Orlando Pride.
McLeod is allocated by the Canadian national team, but contracts for Canadian allocated players run through the league. Due to this, Canadian allocated players are included in the NWSL Players Association and can participate in the collective bargaining process.
Collective bargaining has been a pivotal process for other soccer and women’s sports leagues throughout the United States in recent years.
Major League Soccer threatened a shutdown earlier this year as players and the league engaged in tense exchanges — some of which spilled onto social media — over player compensation.
The WNBA secured a historic CBA in 2020 that included major increases in cash compensation and improvements in child care, maternity leave and family planning benefits.
The NWSL season will kick off on April 9 with the Houston Dash hosting the Chicago Red Stars in the first game of the 2021 Challenge Cup. CBA discussions will continue throughout the 2021 season.
“The collaboration between the league, our clubs and the NWSL players has been absolutely critical to our collective success this past year,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said. “Building on that trust and partnership, we’re all eager to better define the relationship between the league and the extraordinary women that take the pitch each week, and I’m grateful to the NWSLPA’s leadership for so thoughtfully engaging in this process.”
