NWSL Eliminates Draft, Boosts Pay as New CBA Overhauls League

The NWSL is eliminating its annual draft, increasing pay and effectively granting no-trade clauses to players across the league, all part of the new labor accord that was quietly ratified earlier this month.

The deal includes some of the most player-centric language of any labor accord in major U.S. team sports, and notably shifts the NWSL toward the more traditional soccer player contracts often seen in Europe.