Majority of NWSL players oppose calendar flip, cite concerns over cold-weather conditions
A majority of National Women’s Soccer League players currently oppose switching the season calendar to a fall-to-spring format, the NWSL Players Union said late Friday. The statement comes on the heels of ESPN reporting Thursday that the NWSL Board of Governors is expected to vote later this month on whether to flip the calendar from its usual spring-to-fall format to a season that would run from late summer to late spring. The calendar change is on the agenda for the next board meeting, which will take place the last week of April, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting who spoke with The Athletic on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.
If the board approves the change, it would align the NWSL calendar with European leagues and follow Major League Soccer’s decision to flip its calendar next year . MLS’ decision came after years of analysis, from weather patterns to broadcasting windows, and back and forths over the league’s long-term direction. “It is one of the most important decisions in our league history,” commissioner Don Garber told reporters at the time of the announcement.
As for the NWSL, a fall-spring season would likely mean more matches played in cold conditions for some markets, including the two new franchises, Boston and Denver, as well as New York and Kansas City. While the move could impact attendance in these markets, the league’s marquee playoff season will move to a broadcast-friendly spring window, away from the NFL and college football in the fall. The NWSL’s four-year $240 million broadcast deal with CBS, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps (ION) has significantly increased visibility and revenue since it kicked off in 2024.
But the league still struggles to compete with U. S. sports giants.
Last year’s NWSL championship game on CBS averaged 967,900 viewers in prime time on Saturday, making it the most-watched NWSL game in league history; however, the college football game between Alabama and Oklahoma secured 6. 98 million viewers in the same time slot, spotlighting the massive challenge NWSL endures. “The NWSLPA has engaged our Board of Player Representatives and broader membership on the question of whether NWSL should shift from a spring-to-fall to a fall-to-spring calendar,” the players’ union said in a statement to The Athletic on Friday.
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