NWSL players look to Baird
SOCCER
Former and current players such as Foudy and Portland Thorns defender Becky Sauerbrunn believe the strengthening of the league brand at a national level will set an example for individual clubs to follow suit.
“Whenever you have a league trying to establish itself, I think you need to definitely set up the front office to make sure you got the right people in the right places,” Sauerbrunn said. “Then that all trickles down to the teams.”
During her first week on the job, Baird said her first goal was making connections across the league. From there, however, her priorities will shift toward creating strategies to open revenue streams and marketing opportunities for the NWSL.
Baird will push to increase revenue for the league through broadcast rights and sponsorship deals. Both of these areas have been left relatively untapped during the NWSL’s seven-year history. After the dissolution of the league’s partnership with Lifetime, the NWSL only has three sponsors — Nike, Budweiser and Thorne.
In comparison, the WNBA has inked 23 leaguewide sponsors, including names such as AT&T and Google. Of course, the WNBA is directly subsidized the NBA while NWSL is not an arm of MLS.
Acquiring an influx of corporate partners will be one of Baird’s main expectations, and it could have one of the most visible impacts on clubs and players.
For players such as North
Carolina Courage forward Jessica McDonald — who has never had her salary fully subsidized by the U.S. national team as an allocated player despite being part of the 2019 World Cup roster — bringing money into the league is a vital step in improving salaries and benefits for NWSL players.
“Hopefully, the new person will step in and make some positive changes, especially for those who are scraping pennies in our league,” McDonald said. “We don’t get paid too much in this league, but if we’re taken care of in other kinds of ways, then I believe that more people will want to come into our league.”
For many in the NWSL, Baird’s appointment is seen as only the first of many necessary improvements. Sky Blue forward Carli Lloyd pointed out more positions still need to be filled throughout the league office — for instance, the NWSL has not hired a communications director.
But for players such as Orlando Pride captain Ashlyn Harris, Baird’s arrival feels like a first step toward a different chapter for the NWSL.
“I think what everyone’s going to start noticing is the progress we’re making in NWSL, whether it’s financially, whether it’s small things like staff and putting people in positions to continue to grow the game,” Harris said. “We’re definitely making strides, and I think we’re in a really good place with the league and we’re going to continue to grow.”
Harris said the NWSL should benefit from the hype surrounding the Olympics. After star players return to the regular NWSL rotation following the Olympic games, the goalkeeper expects an influx of expansion teams and international player acquisitions. But Foudy isn’t so sure. In the three-year gap between the Olympics and the next FIFA World Cup, she worries American players will be tempted to chase bigger salaries in Europe. The NWSL has already seen the effects of this as big-name clubs in Europe continue to invest in their women’s teams, poaching players such as former Chicago Red Stars striker Sam Kerr.
Players prefer to stay in the United States during international tournament years, Foudy said, to cut down on travel and jet lag during call-ups. But during that three-year international gap, she thinks the restrictive maximum salary cap — $650,000 — could cause players to look elsewhere.
For the NWSL, Foudy says, the key for the new commissioner will be to create a strong enough environment to convince players to remain in the league.
“I think it’s a good step, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough,” Foudy said. “When that NWSL salary suddenly is in comparison to an EPL side offering you a ton of money, you’re going to go overseas. Players will just go where the market bears.
“That’s going to be the challenge for the NWSL.”