Everything you need to know about the first-ever NWSL CBA

On Monday night, the NWSL and the NWSL PA finalized the terms of a transformative first-ever CBA for the longest running women's professional soccer league in U.S. history. The deal ends nearly 18 months of negotiations between players and the NWSL and its club owners. The CBA will run through the 2026 season. 

READ MORE: NWSL Players Association ratifies transformative first-ever CBA

Here's a breakdown of all the key info in the new CBA:

Salary increases

The NWSL has agreed to increase investment in player salaries. The minimum player salary will rise to $35,000 for the 2022 season, which is an increase from the 2021 minimum of $22,000. For perspective, when the league was founded in 2012, the minimum salary was $6,000.

The new NWSL minimum salary is set to increase by 4% every season. The NWSL has also agreed to implement salary increases for all players starting in 2022. The team salary cap for the 2021 season was $682,500, in addition to an extra $400,000 of allocated money permitted. For the 2022 season the individual team salary cap will rise to $1.1 million, with an expected $500,000 of allocated money being made available. 

In addition to salary increases, the NWSL PA has agreed that the league will boost overall compensation in other ways for all players starting in 2023. These player protections from the league include free housing, transportation, fully-vested 401(k) contributions, health, life and disability insurance, among other material benefits. The league announced that these additional contributions will raise the average total compensation to $54,000.

The NWSL will implement a new player bonus structure as well as introduce commercial revenue sharing, which will give the opportunity for players to receive 10% of the net broadcast revenues, if the league is profitable in years 2024, 2025, and 2026. 

The NWSL will commit $255,000 - $300,000 per year for group license rights. 

Free Agency 

Free agency is consistently one of the biggest issues for NWSL players. The lack of free agency has been an issue with players who have had been out of contract but still had little control over where they can play their soccer in the NWSL. From the 2023 season, the NWSL plans to introduce free agency. But there will be caveats to eligibility.

• In 2023, individuals who have six years of service with the NWSL will receive full Free Agency
• In 2024, individuals who have three years of service in the NWSL will receive Restricted Free Agency
• In 2024, individuals who have five years of service in the NWSL will receive full Free Agency

The current CBA has not clarified whether there are rule changes regarding players coming out of the NCAA. But there will be a significant change to NWSL youth and academy regulations. The new CBA will allow players to sign professional contracts before they are 18 years of age. Under the previous set of NWSL rules this was not permitted. 

Player safety, benefits and stadiums

When it comes to player demands, some of the biggest victories in the CBA are in the well-being protocols and benefits that the NWSL PA demanded of the league. Laid out in the new CBA is a mandated six month paid mental health leave, eight week paid maternity or adoption leave, 42 days of guaranteed vacation per season and private nursing facilities for parents. 

Players are now ensured to have a fixed NWSL season with start and end windows, as well as limits on the maximum number of games in a season and on the frequency of games. There will be a seven day vacation week in the summer of NWSL seasons moving forward.

Starting in 2022, all teams will provide the services of, at minimum, a team physician, massage therapist, sports scientist, sports psychologist, and team clinician to provide mental health services. The league will employ a physician as its Medical Director.

In terms of safety on the pitch, the NWSL will now disqualify soccer fields that require substantial dimension conversions in order to be used for soccer. This is a significant change from the 2021 season, when both the Kansas City Current and the OL Reign were playing in baseball stadiums.