Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.
In just a matter of weeks, the 11th season of the National Women’s Soccer League will commence. This year however, something is different. At the end of the 2022 season, NWSL players with six years in the league became free agents. For the first time, these players had the ability to negotiate with teams across the league, an historic first achieved through the collective bargaining agreement that highlights the mutual commitment required between players and teams for the continued growth of the league.
“At its core, free agency is the freedom to choose where we work, and we’ve never had that before” Tori Huster, the president of the NWSL Players Association told The Equalizer. “I chose to stay at the Washington Spirit, and it was very empowering.”
Huster was one of 23 NWSL players that chose to stay with their team. Out of the remaining 22 players, 12 signed with new teams, one retired, one moved to a new league and seven remain unsigned to a new club.
“[The first year of free…
