‘It’s important we attract the best’: inside the NWSL’s groundbreaking deal that abolishes the draft

IOn Thursday morning, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players’ association. The agreement, ratified nearly two years ahead of schedule, is a milestone that underscores the league’s commitment to innovation and player empowerment. Key elements of the agreement include higher minimum salaries and an expanding salary cap, expanded health care options and a groundbreaking shift to a full free agency model, making the NWSL the first U.S. professional league to eliminate the draft.

The timing of this agreement is strategic. With the CBA extended through 2030 (the previous CBA was set to expire in 2026), NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said the goal of this preemptive return to the negotiating table was to lay a solid foundation for long-term stability. Though they’re only in the second year of their direct media rights deal — already historic due to the 40-fold increase — she said they already have their sights set on the next round of contracts, which expire in 2027.

“As we begin to think about preparations for our next media deal, we now have a long horizon for owners, sponsors and media partners to invest in women’s football without fear of disruption, knowing that the players are our product,” Berman told the Guardian.

The logic is not that you are dehumanizing the players, but that it is simple: by investing in your product, you are implicitly investing in the company.

It’s a smart move. According to DeloitteIn 2024, global revenues for elite women’s sports will surpass $1 billion for the first time, reaching $1.28 billion. That’s at least 300% more than just three years earlier.

The new CBA will be phased in gradually, with all restrictions on player agency being lifted immediately.

Although historically design has been a cornerstone of the American sports landscapeEuropean leagues have long embraced a system in which players have considerable control over their careers, characterised by free agency models and robust transfer rules. This framework allows players to negotiate contracts, choose their teams based on location and salary preferences, and move between clubs with relative freedom, provided they adhere to set contractual requirements.

“It was really clear that there is a global labor market for talent, and it was also clear that we were not operating in a manner that was consistent with global standards with respect to player movement in particular, and player agency,” Berman said.

By embracing a free agency model, the NWSL is positioning itself as the first U.S. professional league to adopt this global standard. The free agency system builds on the more restrictive framework introduced in the 2022 contract, which allowed players to become free agents only after a certain period of time with the league.

Next month, the NWSL will eliminate the draft altogether. Berman described the move as “monumental,” emphasizing that players will now have the freedom to choose their entry into the league based on their preferences rather than their years of service. Not only will this create a competitive environment among clubs hoping to attract the best talent — crucial for a sport once plagued by claims of sexual harassment and abuse — but it will also reduce the confusion or red tape for foreign players seeking to join the NWSL.

“It’s critical that we attract the best players to be the best league in the world. And some of the best players are here in the U.S., and some of the best players are international, and we want to be a league that is a destination for those best players, regardless of where they’re from,” Berman said. By adopting a model that aligns with the rest of the world, she said they’ve now “removed those self-imposed obstacles to create a clear runway for the best players in the world to be able to come into the league.”

The agreement also includes a substantial increase in the minimum wage, which will rise from $48,500 in 2025 to $82,500 in 2030, while establishing a salary cap that will increase incrementally from $3.3 million to $5.1 million at the end of the contract. This salary cap consists of a base amount and an additional increase based on revenue sharing, ensuring that the league’s financial growth will directly benefit the players.

“It is our hope – and this was important to us – that this [revenue sharing] “It creates an economic incentive for our players to want to build this business and make sure we’re doing all the things that drive growth,” Berman said. “We’re in the same ecosystem. When we win, they win, and there’s a correlation between their compensation and our revenue.”

Additionally, the CBA significantly improves current support for NWSL players by expanding parental leave, fertility and childcare benefits. Mental health services have been expanded, with each club now required to employ 10 health professionals, up from six, including physicians, athletic trainers, a physical therapist, an exercise scientist, a licensed mental health provider and massage therapists, providing more comprehensive care and support for players.

Berman, a mother of two herself, said the leadership team really took the time to think about what kind of safety nets and support systems are needed to be a parent and an athlete. “We don’t want our players to have to choose between being a mother and being a professional athlete. We feel like there are incredible role models in our league who have stepped up and shown us all that it’s possible, and if someone wants to do that, we want to make sure we have the systems in place to support them.”

According to Berman, negotiations for the new agreement began nearly a year ago, with players eager to participate in a contract that would once again break down barriers. Despite the intense demands on and off the field, many athletes made attending meetings a priority, with a clear sense of the importance of playing a role in shaping a league built for the future.

Dozens of players from across the league participated in virtual and in-person sessions, with negotiations concluding in Philadelphia in July.

Berman is excited that the league is taking a leading position in women’s sports with this new CBA. According to him, it is the result of good negotiation, where everyone leaves the negotiating table with a winning feeling.

“We really want to be a positive disruptor and the spearhead to really change the way the industry thinks about women and women in sports,” Berman said. “We’re going to blaze our own trail. We want to be that innovator. We want to be that company that embraces growth and opportunity and is more risk tolerant in how we think about building our business for the future.”