Report: NWSL Players Won’t Report to Preseason Without CBA in Place

The league could have its first CBA-related work stoppage as preseason begins on Feb. 1.

The National Women’s Soccer League players will not report to their respective clubs on the first day of the 2022 preseason unless a collective bargaining agreement has been put in place, according to multiple sources. The Athletic’s Meg Linehan was the first to report.

The NWSL Players Association and the league’s ownership have been in negotiations for a CBA for more than a year without resolution. With no deal in place currently, the league will now attempt to see if it can solidify a CBA by Feb. 1.

If the league cannot strike a deal over the next 12 days, it would mark the first CBA-related work stoppage since the players association and the league began negotiations in 2020. 

According to The Athletic, the players and the league have been in more than 35 sessions since negotiations began and have agreed on numerous issues within the CBA. However, there are a few remaining points that need to be agreed upon by both parties. 

As the negations continue, details surrounding free agency and when changes to the roster rules will take affect are the remaining issues that need to be addressed.

The NWSL and the players association began negotiations on the league’s first CBA in April 2021. Meghann Burke, executive director of the NWSLPA, recently said the league’s ownership did not begin attending CBA sessions until October.