The overall team salary cap was increased by nearly 20% to $650,000 per teamNWSL
The NWSL's new rule changes for the '20 season will "increase player salaries and team salary caps, as well as add $300,000 per team in allocation money to attract and retain top players," according to Anne Peterson of the AP. The league's "maximum salary for non-allocated players was increased from $46,200 to $50,000, with the minimum salary rising from $16,538 to $20,000." The overall team salary cap also was "increased by nearly 20% to $650,000 per team." The addition of allocation money is "key because it allows the league to compete with European teams for players." The new league rules also "require year-round housing, or an appropriate housing stipend, for players" (AP, 11/1). PRO SOCCER USA's Pardeep Cattry wrote the "questions of viability that perennially follow the league remain, but the ceiling for the NWSL is seemingly a high one." The "more specific question is: How close can the league get to that ceiling" in '20? The NWSL has "done well to realize its biggest strength is the on-field product." More than before, owners will be "responsible for maintaining the league's strong on-field quality, and many clubs still have to tackle issues of accessible venues and attendance" (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 11/1). THE ATHLETIC's Megan Linehan wrote the NWSL's new compensation guidelines are a "huge jump forward." The league "finally has some real ambition of its own, and the determination to remind everyone that it is still the best league in the world" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/1).
