NSL minimum player salary set at $50K with all deals guaranteed

Players in the new Northern Super League will earn at least $50,000 and can't be traded without their consent.

The six-team Canadian women's professional league is set to kick off in April.

Teams will work under a $1.6-million player salary cap with 20- to 25-woman rosters. Each club is allowed one designated player, whose salary will not count against the cap.

The league's standard player agreement comes with guaranteed contract terms and players will also be free agents following the expiration of their contract.

The league also says its players will have access to "comprehensive mental health services and maternity/fertility benefits designed to meet and exceed the standards set by FIFA and ensure players' well-being."

"Our standard player agreement reflects our commitment to giving athletes the respect, security and support they deserve with a player-first approach from Day 1," Diana Matheson, the league's co-founder and chief growth officer, said in a statement.

In comparison, the MLS salary cap in 2024 is US$5.47 million, which covers up to 20 players (although teams can also go as low as 18) on the senior roster.

Slots 21-24 may be filled with several categories including players earning the senior minimum salary of US$89,716. Slots 25-30 may be filled with players earning the reserve minimum salary (US$71,401).

Major League Soccer, which kicked off play in 1996 with 10 teams, has a variety of mechanisms — including general and targeted allocation money — that allow clubs to reduce salary cap hits. Teams are also allowed up to three designated players, whose individual salary cap cost is no more than US$683,750 whatever the DP is being paid.

Miami's Lionel Messi, for example, tops the MLS salary list at US$20.5 million this season while Toronto FC's Lorenzo Insigne is making US$15.4 million.

The minimum salary in the Canadian Premier League is $30,000 for players on the primary roster (which numbers 20 to 23).

The CPL salary cap is $1,212,500 (if teams use the league's Under-21 Player Incentive), with a minimum of $750,000.

The six teams in the NSL will play a 25-game regular season schedule in the inaugural season. In contrast, the 29 MLS teams each play a 34-game regular season.The eight CPL clubs each play a 28-game regular season.

MLS has a collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association. The CPL is currently negotiating with PFA Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.