NWSL federation players

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the NWSL were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021.[1][2][3] American federation players were contracted to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and not to their respective NWSL clubs, whereas Canadian federation players were contracted directly to their respective NWSL clubs.[4] Federation players were sometimes known as allocated players, allocation players, or subsidized players,[5][6] which occasionally created confusion with players paid using NWSL allocation money, a mechanism introduced before the 2020 NWSL season.[7]

NWSL federation players originally came from the USSF, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), and they were distributed to the eight founding teams of the NWSL through a player allocation process in January 2013.[8][9] The FMF ceased allocating players to the NWSL in 2016[10] before starting its own national professional league, Liga MX Femenil, in 2017.[11]

At the end of the 2021 NWSL season, the USSF announced that the federation player system would be abolished.[12] In 2021, the last season in which the federation player system was in place in the NWSL, each American federation player counted as $33,000 and each Canadian federation player $27,500 against the NWSL team salary cap.[13]

  1. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (February 20, 2020). "Davidson, Krieger earn federation contracts for 2020 NWSL season". The Equalizer. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "U.S. Soccer Statement on NWSL Allocation". ussoccer.com.
  3. ^ Linehan, Meg. "U.S. Soccer, USWNT Players Association extend current CBA through March". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (August 16, 2020). "Explained: USWNT contracts, the NWSL, and the looming threat of Europe". The Equalizer. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "NWSL announces 34 federation players for 2018 season". The Equalizer. February 15, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (November 1, 2019). "NWSL approves $300,000 per team in allocation money, raises salaries league-wide". The Equalizer. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "NWSL Announces List of 55 Allocated Players" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. January 9, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  9. ^ "NWSL Announces Allocation of 55 National Team Players to Eight Clubs" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. January 11, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  10. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (January 11, 2016). "Mexico no longer allocating players to NWSL". The Equalizer. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Sin Puebla ni Jaguares, Liga Femenil alista Copa como ensayo" [Without Puebla or Jaguares, the Women's League prepares the Cup as a test]. Mediatiempo (in Mexican Spanish). February 16, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (December 13, 2021). "USWNT, USSF sign MOU to extend CBA to March 31, abolish NWSL allocation system". The Equalizer. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  13. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (May 11, 2021). "NWSL minimum and maximum salaries, team caps each rise 5-10% in 2021". The Equalizer. Retrieved May 11, 2021.