The NWSL has made history by becoming the first major U.S. professional sports league to eliminate the draft, as part of a collective bargaining agreement with the NWSL Players Association. This decision aligns the league with global standards for player recruitment and free agency, emphasizing player agency and the competitive landscape. While the draft provided a platform for talent distribution and league parity, its removal brings uncertainty, as the league navigates this uncharted territory in player movement and recruitment.
It was really clear that there is a global labour market for talent, and it was also clear that we weren't operating in ways consistent with global standards around player movement in particular, and player agency.
There actually is nothing to point to as a case study of how to make this transition, because there is no league that has gone from a world of a draft and having years of service, to being able to earn free agency and just having that melt away overnight.
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