![\"NWSL](\"https:\/\/kupitiblog.store\/597\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/829ec7687c992812b96f9e32b2a0553e.jpg\" "\\"NWSL")
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The NWSL is sticking with its spring-to-fall calendar through 2030.<\/p>\n
The league said on Wednesday that it will not change to the international calendar for at least the next five years. Earlier this week, the league\u2019s board of governors tabled a planned vote on a calendar flip following opposition from players.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing extensive evaluation and close collaboration with key stakeholders, we have made the deliberate decision to maintain our existing competition calendar for this period,\u201d the league said in a statement. \u201cThis decision reflects our confidence in the strong momentum and growth the league has achieved under its current structure, and our commitment to providing stability for everyone invested in the NWSL\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NWSL and MLS play from spring through fall, opposite major leagues in Europe. Because the offseasons don\u2019t align, players coming to or leaving the U.S. leagues have to play overlapping seasons and miss time with one of their clubs.<\/p>\n
Late last year, MLS voted to flip its calendar in 2027 following years of discussions. Leaders have touted the move as an opportunity to better attract top talent and have stronger playoffs without stars departing for Europe.<\/p>\n
The calendar commitment matches the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement with the players, which was reached in 2024 and runs through 2030. (The CBA can be reopened to renegotiate revenue sharing, but only if the league\u2019s ownership structure changes or there is a major spike in revenue.)<\/p>\n
NWSL players have been broadly opposed to playing during the winter. Before the vote was cancelled, Gotham FC player Midge Purce told Front Office Sports that the NWSL is not prepared to support cold weather markets the same way MLS is, and that she finds it \u201creally frustrating that the players aren\u2019t being considered\u201d more in these discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying really hard to hold my tongue about specific stories where we haven\u2019t been supported really well and how it becomes an actual detriment for player health and safety,\u201d Purce said.<\/p>\n
After ESPN reported earlier this month that the league would vote on a calendar shift at its late-April meetings, the National Women\u2019s Soccer League Players Association said the majority of players opposed the idea, citing a lack of league-wide facilities standards to handle cold weather.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement that the league made the \u201cright decision to provide stability and certainty\u201d with the calendar over the next several seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout this process, players made clear that any discussion about the calendar must prioritize player health and safety, infrastructure (including training and match facilities), and professional standards necessary to compete at the highest level,\u201d Burke said. \u201cThe NWSLPA remains committed to working with NWSL to foster the conditions necessary for its continued growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
A fall-to-spring calendar is not entirely off the table in the future, the NWSL made clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain thoughtful about the long-term evaluation of our calendar\u2014 and will continue to assess future opportunities with the same rigor and broad stakeholder alignment that guided this decision,\u201d the league said. \u201cAny change of that magnitude would be communicated with ample notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for now, spring-to-fall is the status quo for the next several seasons, until CBA negotiations pick back up.<\/p>\n
The post NWSL to Keep Calendar for Rest of Decade After Player Pushback appeared first on Front Office Sports.<\/p>\n