NWSL and NWSLPA going to arbitration over free agency again: sources

The NWSL is once again heading to arbitration with the NWSL players association over free agency later this month. According to multiple league sources briefed on the dispute who were not yet authorized to speak publicly about the decision, the league office is taking a similar position as it did last summer when it went to arbitration over the language in the collective bargaining agreement about player contract options. The dispute could affect multiple players who have signed contracts following the ratification of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. 

Notably, though, league sources said that the NWSL’s board of governors were informed of the decision to head to arbitration with the NWSLPA only after it was made by the NWSL front office led by commissioner Jessica Berman and chief legal officer Bill Ordower. League sources did not know how the votes would have broken down across the teams, but it remains unclear whether the NWSL required BOG approval to head to arbitration. In this particular case, there are larger questions about the approach to free agency and the financial costs of arbitration.

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On Tuesday, when asked for a statement, the NWSLPA confirmed that arbitration is set to begin on Aug. 29, and the dispute affects 46 players over the final three years of the CBA term (2024-2026).

The NWSL provided a statement to The Athletic via a spokesperson on Tuesday, which reads, “We continue to work closely with the NWSLPA to resolve disagreements where possible and have had many instances where we have found solutions. That said, that won’t always be the outcome, particularly in a first-ever collective bargaining agreement between the parties, and that’s why labor agreements typically