The National Women's Soccer League Players Association (often known as NWSL Players Association or NWSLPA) is the officially recognized union of players in the
National Women's Soccer League
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...
(NWSL).
History
The NWSLPA was formed in May 2017 under the leadership of
Yael Averbuch and represented by lawyer and former
WPS player
Meghann Burke.
The NWSLPA officially unionized in November 2018.
Until the end of the 2021 season, the NWSLPA membership excluded United States
federation players because those players were contracted with the
US Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at ...
(USSF) for their play in the NWSL.
In December 2021, the USSF and the union representing the
U.S. national team (USWNT) agreed to end the
NWSL federation players
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the National Women's Soccer League were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021. American federation players were co ...
system, which means that USWNT players playing in the NWSL are now contracted directly to their NWSL teams and that those players will also be represented in their club employment by the NWSLPA.
[
]
Leadership
The NWSLPA is led by president Haley Hopkins, elected in 2025, and executive director Meghann Burke. The executive team is advised by an advisory board and a group of player representatives of two players from each NWSL team.
;List of presidents
* Yael Averbuch, FC Kansas City
FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champio ...
/Seattle Reign FC
Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...
(2017–2019)
*Brooke Elby
Brooke Kazuko Elby (born May 24, 1993) is an American former soccer midfielder/defender who last played for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was the second executive director of the NWSL Players Association ...
, Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...
(2019)
*Tori Huster
Victoria Lauren Huster (born September 23, 1989) is an American retired women's association football, soccer player who spent most of her career with Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, she was elected presid ...
, Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995†...
(2020–2025)
* Haley Hopkins, Kansas City Current
The Kansas City Current are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an NWSL expansion, expansion team in 2021 NWSL ...
(2025–present)
Awards
The NWSL Players Association began awarding its own NWSL Players' Awards, voted on by the players of the NWSL, in 2019.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Women's Soccer League Players Association
Sports trade unions of the United States
Trade unions established in 2017
Players
Association football trade unions
Soccer organizations in the United States
2017 establishments in the United States