Player’s Union

Publicerad 29 juli 2010, 20:48
In just its second year, the WPS is still a baby. As all babies, it is in a very formative state, susceptible to adversity and in need of adapting to survive. But the league’s players are not babies. With 32 year olds still in prime, a 39 year old who somehow has the vivacity of a girl in her twenties, and team’s filled with some of the world’s most talented players, this is a league of women, of the real deal, and these women need to make moves to look after themselves and this league. That’s why the WPS’s women have begun the process of forming a players union.

At this year’s WPS All-Star game in Atlanta, the players who were present met with the owner of the FC Gold Pride to discuss the benefits of forming a player’s union (an organized association of workers formed to protect and further its rights). The owners need a means by which they can contact and discuss options with the players, and the players need a forum for which they can voice their needs and concerns.

Last year, when deciding whether to extend the season another month, the owners felt they had no one to contact. Because of strict rules in the Standard Player Contract, they were not able to seek the advice or opinions of the current players, as that would be electing a leader or representative. So instead they used their own discretion and did what they thought was best, independent of player input.

One of the conclusions they came to was an extension of league play. This year the league stretches on a month longer than last year, taking the end of regular season play into September. While this extension is projected to benefit the league in ticket sales (based on the success of the MLS in the later months last year), it did not take into consideration the difficulty it would cause for players hoping to coach, play, or work in the off-season. It also called upon the players for another month of playing without an increase in salary, essentially giving each of the players a pay cut. Having a union would at least open these types of decisions up for discussion.

While no one in the league is exclusively financially driven, players still need to be able to survive off of their salaries and be comfortable enough so that performing is their primary concern. In order to keep this league competing to be the best women’s league in the world, certain standards need to be met to attract the upper echelon of domestic and international talent. In addition, the non-national team players need to be protected as well. The players seek to start a foundation that is strong and will support the future.

With that in mind, the league’s players- in cooperation with the owners- hope to create the union to protect the most important elements. Some top concerns are health care (as there is no national health care in the US, and developmental players currently do not receive this benefit while they are the least paid players), season length (especially with the concerns of the 2011 World Cup affecting next year’s schedule), transparency- keeping everyone informed and aware so that every player feels protected and considered.

And of course sustainability is a primary concern. With the cooperation and teamwork of players and owners, we hope to build a league that will be around for years to come, so that we can one day bring our children to watch the WPS, to see the future of soccer and know we were a part of the beginning.

Taggar: WPS. Val Henderson