Alex Morgan and Brianna Pinto discuss the groundbreaking deal with the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association during an appearance on “Good Morning America” on August 22, 2024. – ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Soccer stars Alex Morgan and Brianna Pinto are speaking out after the National Women’s Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association agreed to a historic new contract Thursday.
Both Morgan and Pinto served on the NWSLPA bargaining committee.
“It was an honor to be part of the negotiations. I was one of five current NWSL players present, and it helped the league connect names and faces and see our true humanity,” Pinto told “Good Morning America.” “I think it kept reminding us of what we were asking of the league.”
The deal extends the players’ current contracts through 2030. Groundbreaking terms include eliminating the draft, offering free agency to players and allowing players to agree to transfers.
“This is a groundbreaking deal for us. There has never been anything like it in any American sports league,” Morgan said.
“While it’s exciting right now not to have a draft, it’s so important for players to have that power back and be able to choose where they want to live and play, taking into account all aspects of reproductive rights, tax laws, culture and amenities and everything within a team in a state that has made sure of that,” the San Diego Wave forward continued.
Pinto said players have long supported this prospect of selection, including free agency.
“I think this is a tremendous achievement for our players because it allows the clubs to create a professional environment that appeals to players all over the world,” said Pinto, a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage. “We are very excited about the newly formed agency that allows us to decide where we play, because that is something the players have been looking forward to for years.”
Once the new agreements take effect, all contracts will be guaranteed – a condition similar to those of other professional sports leagues that Pinto considered crucial.
“This is important to us because it protects you from situations that are beyond your control, be it a health condition, an injury or a drop in performance on the field. You are guaranteed to keep your contract until the end of your term,” Pinto said.
Another central aspect of the new collective agreement is the extension of parental leave and family support.
“I’m really proud of this part of our contract,” said Morgan, who is a mother of one herself. “We can now travel with our children and bring childcare, but also consider future planning for our families. This means players have access to fertility clinics and many other resources that weren’t available to us before.”
“These are things you don’t see in men’s leagues,” Morgan added. “And that’s why we had to think outside the box and try to protect and support mothers as best we could, because I didn’t want to choose – back in 2019, I was at the peak of my career and I didn’t want to choose whether I wanted to keep playing football or be a mother. I wanted to be able to do both – and that’s why I’m really proud to be part of this and actually have a say in this groundbreaking deal.”
Morgan said the new contract will promote the league’s up-and-coming star players and could serve as an example for other professional sports leagues.
“I think we’re making changes that give some power back to the players. And I can certainly see other leagues looking at the NWSL and seeing how we’ve achieved advantages within our contract and how they could do that,” she said.
“There are leagues that have been around for 50 or 100 years that have not been able to achieve the things that we have in our contract and we are only in the 12th year of the NWSL so it is pretty incredible what we have been able to achieve and I hope this is a small push to give the players a little bit more freedom and choice again.”
In a statement, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman praised the significant contract agreement.
“Given our vision to be the best league in the world, we determined this is the right time to align with global standards and achieve long-term labor peace. This collective bargaining agreement gives us control of our business and players control of their careers,” Berman said. “Our new agreement revolutionizes the game, raises standards and brings innovation to the business. On behalf of our Board of Directors, I want to thank our players and their representative leadership at the NWSLPA for working together to make this possible.”
Pinto stressed that the agreement between the league and the players was a mutual victory.
“Overall, we have learned that when the players win, we all win. So we are very happy about this success,” said Pinto.
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