Roster rules in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are heading for a major update.
On Tuesday, the league announced that it was creating a new player compensation mechanism designed to provide clubs with expanded flexibility to attract and retain some of the best players in the world. This new rule is called the “High Impact Player” rule (HIP).
However, just hours after the NWSL announced the new rule, the NWSL Players Association announced its opposition to it. “The League’s unilateral action leaves the NWSLPA no choice but to take action to enforce the rights of the Players we represent,” the NWSLPA said in a statement.
The NWSL said in a statement, per the terms of the existing collective bargaining agreement, that it had “exercised its discretion to establish the High Impact Player roster classification and reduce associated salary cap charges following consultation with the NWSL Players Association.”
This news comes after weeks of reporting on the saga of the Washington Spirit’s proposed contract with Trinity Rodman, which the league did not approve due to compensation terms.
How does the High Impact Player rule work?
Under the NWSL’s new HIP rule, each club may exceed the league’s salary cap by up to $1,000,000 for high impact players. This off-cap spending threshold is set to grow year-over-year at the same base rate as the salary cap.
The additional cash can be spent on a single star player or distributed among multiple players. Players getting paid as a High Impact Player will still be charged a minimum of 12% on the base salary cap. So, for example, in 2026, a High Impact Player will still take up a minimum of $420,000 from the base salary cap of $3,500,000. The HIP player would still earn more than that amount, but the remaining funds would be outside the base salary cap.
Which players qualify as a High Impact Player?
Players must meet one of the following commercial or sporting criteria to be considered a high impact player:
- Player is on SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes within the one year prior to the current league season; or,
- Player is selected in the Top 30 in Ballon d’Or voting in the two years prior to the current league season; or
- Player is selected in the Top 40 of the Guardian Top 100 football players in the world in the two years prior; or
- Player is selected in the Top 40 of ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world in the two years prior; or
- Top 11 minutes played for the USWNT in the prior two calendar years for field players for all competition types; or
- Top one minutes played for USWNT in the prior two calendar years for goalkeepers for all competition types; or
- Player selected as NWSL MVP Finalist within previous the two league seasons; or
- Player selected to the End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team within the previous two league seasons.
If a player meets any one of the above criteria, then they can receive up to $1,000,000 of additional off-cap compensation.
When does the High Impact Player rule come into effect?
The NWSL has announced that the High Impact Player rule will come into effect on July 1, 2026. That date is largely for administrative reasons, and clubs can already start signing players under the High Impact Player rule. The boost in compensation in the form of off-cap spending will arrive in the next international transfer window, rather than the one that opens officially on Jan. 1, 2026.
So, in theory, a High Impact Player can sign with a team but will not be paid out of the new funds until July 1. The effective date will be factored into the new contract, and the team will not be allowed to utilize the new funds until then.
Why is the NWSLPA opposing the rule?
The key issue highlighted in the NWSLPA’s response is that the league did not bargain with the NWSLPA for the rule change. The NWSL believes it can implement the rule change without the NWSLPA’s approval.
“Under federal labor law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining—not a matter of unilateral discretion,” the NWSLPA said in a statement on Tuesday. “Fair pay is realized through fair, collectively bargained compensation systems, not arbitrary classifications. A league that truly believes in the value of its Players would not be afraid to bargain over it.”
One of the key sticking points is that the compensation in the High Impact Player rule would not be available to all players. The money is outside the salary cap, and players need to qualify to access it. It is an exclusionary rule that benefits some but not all players in the NWSL.
The NWSLPA has stated it is “ready and willing to engage in good-faith bargaining” with the NWSL and offered to accept the terms of a $1,000,000 raise to the salary cap rather than the implementation of the High Impact Player rule. This, in theory, would allow those additional funds to be accessed by more players in the NWSL and enable teams to compete more effectively in the global soccer market.
What next?
The NWSLPA has already filed a grievance over the NWSL rejecting the Spirit’s contract offer to Rodman on Dec. 3. That grievance is still ongoing, and it sounds like the NWSLPA will now be fighting another legal battle over the league’s decision not to bargain over the implementation of the High Impact Player rule.
These legal battles could roll on for weeks or even months. There is no exact timeline for when we could get clarity on these rules being approved, rejected or overturned completely.
The real issue is that players like Rodman are now out of contract. There is no time to waste. Those players need clarity when it comes to signing deals that will affect their futures and their careers.
Furthermore, the international transfer window will open on Jan. 1, 2026, and prospective players entering the NWSL will want to know the exact teams’ budgets and the salaries they can command next season and beyond.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The NWSL’s New High Impact Player Rule Explained.