The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) has filed a formal grievance challenging the league’s High Impact Player rule.
The NWSL announced the new rule last month. The mechanism allows teams to exceed the NWSL’s salary cap by up to $1 million for certain ‘high-impact’ players, with the aim of keeping some of the league’s biggest stars from seeking out bigger paydays in Europe.
But the rule has proven controversial due to some of the criteria needed to be considered a high-impact player.
In addition to accomplishments like earning NWSL Best XI or MVP honors, a player could also meet the threshold by being named to the SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes list, or being selected on the short list for awards such as the Ballon d’Or.
The NWSLPA said in a statement that it ‘is seeking immediate rescission of the HIP rule.’
The union claims that the NWSL implemented the rule unilaterally in violation of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and federal labor law.
Rather than enacting the High Impact Player rule, the NWSLPA said that it has ‘proposed instead that the NWSL simply increase the salary cap by $1 million.’
“This was a unilateral decision by the league to change how a player’s fair market value is evaluated,” said Meghann Burke, executive director of the NWSLPA.
“We agree that increasing investment in player compensation is necessary to remain competitive in the global labor market. The solution is straightforward and collectively bargained by raising the salary cap. What the league cannot do is invent a parallel pay system outside the salary cap that was never negotiated, then limit access to compensation through league-controlled criteria that excludes some players.’
The NWSL is under increasing pressure from teams in Europe that don’t have to deal with a salary cap. Several prominent players have left for England over the past year including Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson and Sam Coffey.
Trinity Rodman, one of the most high-profile players in the NWSL, is currently a free agent after her Washington Spirit contract expired at the end of 2025. Several European clubs have shown an interest in the 23-year-old, who has yet to decide her future.