/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69281439/1271983678.0.jpg)
The NWSL announced Thursday roster rules, regulations and competition guidelines for 2021. The senior roster for NWSL teams in 2021 is 22-24 players.
The 2021 salary cap has been increased by 5% from 2020 to $682,500. The league has also increased the maximum and minimum player salaries. The maximum player salary has increased by 5% to $52,500 and the minimum has increased by 10% to $22,000.
The players also receive healthcare from the league at no cost to the players. All players are provided housing directly or through a stipend of up to $3,000. Teams can also provide a car to players but the vehicle can not be valued at more than $50,000.
Healthcare, housing, and transportation do not count against the salary cap.
The NWSL’s discovery process was also reformed. Discovery is a way by which teams secure exclusive rights within the league to negotiate the terms of a Standard Player Agreement with an individual on behalf of the league.
Teams can now have up to seven players on their discovery list at a time with any combination of domestic or international players. Teams can remove a player from the list at any time and that player will become discovery eligible for the other teams in the NWSL. Players will also be removed from a team’s discovery list if the player and the league “fully execute an SPA or another team “wins” a competing discovery request for the player.”
The NWSL’s full release can be found here and the full 2021 roster rules and competition guidelines can be found here.