The U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association is donating $16,000 to help get the union for players in the National Women’s Soccer League off the ground.
The NWSL Players Association represents more than 160 players who are not paid by the U.S. and Canadian soccer federations. Those federations pay the salaries of 33 national team players who are allocated across the five-year-old women’s professional league.
The $16,000 donation represents the proceeds from T-shirts sold as part of the U.S. national team’s 2016 #equalpayforequalplay campaign while the players sought a new labor agreement with U.S. Soccer. A deal between the two sides was struck in April.
A month later, non-allocated NWSL players overwhelmingly approved a new constitution and bylaws for a players’ association. The group seeks to represent the interests of non-allocated players with the league’s 10 teams and the league office.
The donation will help launch the union, said Yael Averbuch, a midfielder for FC Kansas City who was recently elected president.