NWSL players say new CBA makes them feel like true professionals

Imani Dorsey has seen the momentum building for players rights throughout her career but couldn’t stop smiling when speaking Friday about the National Women’s Soccer League's collective bargaining agreement that went into effect on July 30.

“The change feels gradual in some ways but also drastic,” said Dorsey, the league's 2018 Rookie of the Year and a defender for the Utah Royals. “To think about how far we’ve come, this is pretty special.”

The CBA represents a major shift in how players control their futures. The draft has been eliminated. Players approve any proposed trade. All contracts are guaranteed and every player becomes a free agent when contracts end.

Living expenses are no longer considered part of players’ compensation and minimum salaries will increase to $48,500 in 2025 and will reach $82,500 by 2030. Expanded parental leave and child care benefits are part of the deal.

Dorsey has been a team representative in the past and was part of the fledgling NWSL Players Association that negotiated the first CBA a few years ago amid a number of harassment scandals. Five of the 10 head coaches at the time were fired or resigned by the end of the 2021 season.

Dorsey took the 2023 season off to take care of her mental health and has seen how the NWSL has shown more interest in protecting players on and off the field.

“Some of what we fought for a few years ago has become reality now, such as having a player affairs manager on every team and just more people looking out for players. And now this agreement takes it that much further,” Dorsey said.

Besides loosening their pocketbooks, owners are now talking about the league differently.

“Owners would say, ‘We’re doing this to give back to women’s sports’, like it was a favor. Or they’d say ‘We have daughters and they love soccer.’ Of course, that’s a great place to start but now it’s more serious; they treat it as an investment and they want to be the best league in the world,” Dorsey said.

Mikayla Cluff is a Utah native who came home in an off-season trade with Orlando, where she played her first two seasons. The midfielder can’t help think how things might have been different if there was no draft and she could choose where she wanted to play from the start.

“The new CBA protects players. If players are happy and getting treated the way that they should be, it just raises the level of respect across the board. We’re true professionals and we’re now getting treated more like it,” Cluff said.

Players aren't surprised that the NWSL would be the league to break these barriers in American professional sports.

“Women’s soccer has always been a trailblazer in that sense with our women’s national team and our league and this is a giant step in the right direction,” Dorsey said.