NEWS
The new CBA might still be MIA, but the NWSL released the 59-page 2025 Competition Manual, and here is everything you need to know:
Roster Size
Still expecting 22-26 players on active roster during the season
Changes: Non-active roster - Mental Health leave added
Roster Relief Contracts
Roster Relief Contracts should be aligned with the length of the replaced Player’s absence with a minimum duration of one month and a maximum duration through the end of the calendar year.
Roster Relief situations: 45-day injury list, Season-Ending Injury, Goalkeeper Injury to maintain at least two goalkeepers, maternal/parental leave, mental health leave, national team duty
If the replaced player returns to the team prior to the expiration of the contract, the team doesn’t have to use a roster spot for the roster relief player and can either list the player as ‘unavailable’ or allow said player to remain on the roster if there is a roster spot available. If both players are on the roster at the same time, both will count towards the roster cap.
National team replacement players (NTRPs) are domestic players paid the league minimum and do not count toward the team salary cap unless the NTRP remains rostered after the return of the player called up to National Team duty.
In the case of an inbound loan NTRP, FIFA requires a minimum loan length equal to the duration between the Primary and Secondary Transfer Windows, for 2025, NWSL’s minimum loan length is 99 days. Any loan that is not recalled by their parent club upon the national team player’s return to market will be treated as a traditional loan and will not received roster or salary cap relief.
No loan fee may be paid for an inbound loan NTRP, unless the loan involved an inbound player from the USL, in which case, the team may pay a loan fee as a reimbursement for Player’s salary.
Season-Ending Injuries
For Season-Ending Injuries, a player may be listed on the SEI list retroactively to the date-of-injury. When approving adding a player to the SEI list, the league takes into account the severity of the injury and the remaining time in the season. A player placed on the SEI list at the conclusion of the league season may remain on the SEI list into the next league season and continue to accrue base salary cap relief and roster relief.
A maximum of two players may unexpectedly recover from the SEI list during the season in which they went on the SEI list, as long as the team did not accept either roster or salary cap relief for the player.
To join the active roster, a player must be cleared for full activity and participation – full participation means the ability to play in a league game. If at the end of the 30 days, the player is not ready, the team Medical must provide a letter to the league stating why the player is not cleared.
Salary Cap Exempt Contracts
Salary Cap Exempt Contracts are a new addition this year. They are contracts for the league minimum salary and have a minimum length of two months and a maximum duration through the end of the calendar year.
They are permitted to have Agent fees calculated that do not count against the salary cap — said fees may not be more than 10% of the Player’s salary.
Teams may sign an International Player to a Salary Cap Exempt Contract, however, the contract cannot be conditional on said player receiving their visa in a specific timeline.
Trialists
Teams are able to have trialists at any point in the season. The maximum trial duration for a Trialist who is 21 and under is 56 days, consecutive or nonconsecutive, per team in any one league season. The maximum trial duration for any Trialist over 21 is 21 days, consecutive or nonconsecutive. For the duration of a trial, trialists may participate in any preseason game or practice games only.
Amateurs
Amateurs are not included in team roster size calculations, but may participate in Preseason Games; and Unofficial Tournaments only. No more than three amateur players may train with any one NWSL team at any given time.
Should an NWSL team create, maintain, or partner with a reserve team or lower division team, the NWSL and NWSLPA shall meet to bargain over whether players from the reserve teams or lower division teams may be Loaned or “called-up” to train and/or play with an NWSL team or players loaned or “called down” to reserve teams.
Standard Player Contract Terms/Benefits
The maximum length of a contract for a player over 18 is five years including any options. For players under the age of 18, the maximum term is three years, including any options.
Options in Standard Player Agreements (SPA) may be unilateral (team or player) or mutual. Option years may not exceed the length of the guaranteed contract.
Example: 2+2 or 2+1+1 are okay, but 2+3 or 2+1+1+1 are not.
If a mutual option is exercised on the team side, the mutual option can be rescinded at any time if the player has not yet executed their part of the mutual option. Clubs have no obligation to keep a mutual option open for a specific length of time to allow a player to accept.
An SPA offered to a player expires and will no longer be valid after 30 days if it is neither executed nor expressly rejected in writing.
Salary Cap Regulations & Player Compensation
The league has established a $3.3 million base salary cap to be used against a 22-26 player roster for the 2025 season, with additional monies from the league’s new revenue sharing mechanism bringing the cap to $3.5 million.
The salary cap charges include: Bonuses (Performance, Roster, Signing, One-Time), Fees (going over the transfer fee threshold), Excess benefits above the amounts required by the terms of the CBA (housing, childcare, player benefits), and Excess additional work.
Things not counted toward the player Salary Cap: Payment for additional work up to $15,000, travel and transportation reimbursements as set in the CBA, Parental/dependent care up to 2x the IRS maximum, Housing, automobile, relocation, and per diem per the CBA, Standard Player benefits provided by the league (insurance, dental, life insurance, 401k employer contributions).
Achieved performance bonuses are paid out in the year achieved but count towards the salary cap for the following NWSL league season. The bonus amount earned in 2024 will count toward a team’s salary cap in 2025 regardless of whether or not the player remains on the team roster for 2025.
Signing bonuses and one-time bonuses will be paid out in the current year, and count against the team’s current year salary cap. Team-provided player bonus packets cannot exceed 50% of a player’s total base salary across the term of the SPA.
League-provided post-season and award bonuses will not count against the team’s salary cap. Prize money earned for competition in an official tournament will not count against the team’s salary cap.
Salary Cap cash and charges are not tradable assets and cannot be included in transactions between teams.
Teams may pay Transfer and/or Loan fees in excess of the Transfer Fee Threshold but will incur a Salary Cap charge at twenty-five percent (25%) of the excess amount over the Transfer Fee Threshold. For example, if a Team pays net Transfer fees of $600,000, the Team will incur a $12,500 Salary Cap charge (i.e., 25% of the excess $50,000).
A team may also receive Salary Cap relief for a Player’s Agent fee at the daily rate for the duration of time the Player is on the SEI/Maternity List. However, a team may only receive Salary Cap relief in the calendar year the player is initially placed on said lists. Relief does not roll over to the next calendar year, even if the player remains on the list in the new year.
Mutual Termination (Buyout)
Teams have the ability to buy out one SPA per league season with no impact to their Salary Cap from the point of the buyout. Teams may buy out additional SPA(s) but the full amount will count towards the team salary cap.
Buyout regulations apply to both SPAs and Salary Cap Exempt Contracts.
Teams and Players may agree to Mutually Terminate a Guaranteed SPA. Mutual Terminations may include financial compensation terms (e.g., a Buyout), but they are not required to include financial compensation so long as the Player is in agreement
Related Party Transactions
This was introduced ahead of the 2024 NWSL season, and has a lot of clarifications in the 2025 Competition Manual, it is specifically around teams in different leagues which share ownerships.
Clarifying rules:
No exclusivity agreements can exist between an NWSL team and a related party club.
The number of players loaned or transferred to or from an NWSL by its related party club must not exceed three players at any given time during a league season.
The loan period for all inbound loans between an NWSL team and the related party club must be for a minimum of one year.
If the League determines that the Related Party NWSL Team did not pay fair market value and the Related Party Club had previously acquired the Player for a $500,000 Transfer fee and signed the Player to a two (2) year contract, the NWSL may count up to $250,000 towards the Transfer Fee Threshold.
In the event that the League determines that an outbound Transfer fee is being used to manipulate the Transfer Fee Threshold, then the League may, in its discretion, determine that such outbound Transfer may not be used to offset the Transfer Fee Threshold.
Salary Cap implications :
For an inbound loan, a player’s salary cap charge will be equal to to the amount of compensation paid by the NWSL Club and the Related Party Club during the term of the Loan.
For example, if a Player is earning a $2,000 Salary per month from the Related Party Club, is brought in on a Loan, and will be earning an additional $3,000 per month from the related-NWSL Team, the Salary Cap charge to the NWSL Team for the Player will total $5,000 per month for the duration of the Loan (i.e., $2,000 + $3,000 = $5,000).
For an outbound loan, a player’s salary cap charge will be equal to the full compensation paid to the player by both the NWSL team and the related party club.
For example, if the NWSL Team pays a Player $100,000 in Salary and subsequently Loans the Player at the end of the year to the Related Party Club, which agrees to pay the Player $800,000 in Salary, the Player’s Salary Cap charge will be $900,000 (i.e., $100,000 + $800,00 = $900,000). If the Related Party Club pays the Player an amount less than or equal to the Player’s NWSL Salary, the NWSL Team may offset the Player’s Salary against the Salary Cap.
Trades and Transfers
Beginning January 15, 2025, Players may be acquired in Trades and Intraleague Transfers with League and Player approval at any time during the calendar year.
Player Trades and Intraleague Transfers cannot be made for finite periods (i.e., Players may not be “loaned” from one Team to another), nor may a Team structure a Trade or Intraleague Transfer such that a Player may not play against their previous Team.
Players currently on Loan outside the League can be Traded, however Player’s Registration cannot be transferred to a new Team until Player returns or is recalled from Loan.
Trades and Intraleague Transfers may not be conditioned upon a Player passing a physical examination or voided because they failed to do so, unless the trading Team acts in bad faith regarding the details of a Player’s medical condition.
Restricted Free Agency is not completely gone, but is only applicable to six players (not disclosed by the league who the six are).
At any given time during the League Season, a Team may only have a maximum of three (3) Players Loaned in from a single foreign Club and have a maximum of three (3) Players Loaned out to a single foreign Club.
A Team may have no more than a total of six (6) Players Loaned in or out at any given time.
Transfers to and from USL Super League
Because the Player’s ITC is already with USSF, Loans to and from the USL Super League may take place at any time during the calendar year. The Loan does not need to begin or end during a Registration Window to be approved, as long as the Loan meets the minimum and maximum length requirements from above.
For outbound Loans from the NWSL to USL Super League, Teams will receive Salary Cap relief for the portion of the Salary reimbursed by the USL Club as the Loan Fee. The Loan fee would not be counted toward a Team’s Transfer Fee Threshold.
For inbound Loans from the USL Super League to NWSL, the Player’s Salary that is being reimbursed by the Team will hit the Salary Cap at the prorated daily rate for the duration of the Loan.
Removing a Player From a Roster
Player-Elected Leave
A Player may request a leave of absence from services required under the SPA. If approved by the League, the Player’s Rights will continue to be held by the Team for whom they last played, through the term of their SPA. Player-Elected Leave is an unpaid leave of absence, and the Player would not receive any SPA-provided compensation or benefits for the duration of the leave. The Player’s Team will also receive Salary Cap relief for the duration of Player’s leave of absence.
Retirement
Retirement shall mean that a Player shall not play soccer for any other professional soccer team following the date of retirement. The Team holding the Player’s rights pursuant to an SPA that is being terminated due to Retirement shall continue to hold the player’s playing rights for 30 months from the date of the Player’s retirement. The NWSL shall have no obligation to release a player’s International Transfer Certificate for the duration of this thirty (30) month period
Players with 10 or more Service Years who officially retire(d) from the NWSL between 2023 and 2030, will receive a one-time founding Player contribution payment of $5,000.
Player Registration
For any weekday game (Monday-Friday), the PAF and required US Soccer registration materials must be received by the League by 6:00 pm ET on the day before the game (e.g., if the game is on Wednesday, the PAF must be received by the League before 6:00pm ET on Tuesday).
For Saturday and Sunday games, the PAF and required US Soccer registration materials must be received by the League by 1:00 pm ET on the Friday prior to the weekend (e.g., if the game is on Sunday, the PAF must be received by the League before 1:00 pm ET on Friday).
Submitting a PAF to the League does not guarantee a Player will be eligible to compete in the Team’s next competition.
A maximum of four U18 players may be added to a team’s roster at a given time.
Tampering – Just don’t do it
Tampering was not in any of the previous competition rules. Clarifies that team representatives are not able to tamper with any player under contract with another team and that a team must contact a club prior to speaking to an individual under contract. If said individual has more than six months remaining on their contract, the team must get written permission to communicate with the individual from the current club. There was also a specific callout that ‘Expansion Team(s) must comply with the internal Tampering rule.’