NWSL says it will keep spring-to-fall schedule through 2030 season

Q: Why did the NWSL decide to keep its spring-to-fall schedule?

The NWSL decided to maintain its current schedule to ensure stability and reflect confidence in the league's growth, following extensive evaluation and collaboration with stakeholders.

Q: What are the implications of the NWSL's decision for future scheduling?

The NWSL's decision means it will remain the only first-division league in the US playing during the summer, potentially allowing it to capture a larger fanbase while other leagues are off-season.

Q: What concerns did players express about switching the NWSL calendar?

Players like Midge Purce and Trinity Rodman raised concerns about inadequate resources, potential weather issues, and the complications of sharing facilities with MLS teams if the calendar were to switch.

Trinity Rodman was one of several players to caution against a potential NWSL calendar switch.Photograph: Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images (Photograph: Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images) The National Women’s Soccer League has decided to forego a previously scheduled vote on inverting its calendar, announcing Wednesday that it will continue to operate under its current spring-to-fall schedule through 2030. CBS Sports reported on Monday that the vote, initially reported by ESPN to be held by month’s end, was removed from this week’s board of governors docket. While the league’s announcement added that a vote could still materialize down the road, no change will be implemented through the end of the current decade. “Following extensive evaluation and close collaboration with key stakeholders, we have made the deliberate decision to maintain our existing competition calendar for this period,” an NWSL spokesperson wrote in a league statement. “This decision reflects our confidence in the strong momentum and growth the league has achieved under its current structure, and our commitment to providing stability for everyone invested in the NWSL’s success. “We remain thoughtful about the long-term evaluation of our calendar— and will continue to assess future opportunities with the same rigor and broad stakeholder alignment that guided this decision. Any change of that magnitude would be communicated with ample notice. “For now, our focus is on continuing to deliver a world-class season as we build toward the future.” MLS will flip its schedule to fit the more customary global cadence after an abridged 2027 sprint season. That leaves the NWSL as the only first-division league in the US to play games in the summer, as the USL’s first-division sanctioned Gainsbridge Super League launched with August-to-May slating in 2024. It could be an opportunity to capture a broader portion of the sport’s stateside fanbase without other leagues operating during families’ summer vacations. Infrastructure is also a crucial sticking point to any change, as emphasized by the NWSL Players Association in its response to the initial ESPN reporting. No team in the league plays with a roof at its stadium, while flipping the calendar would complicate booking dates for teams in shared facilities. Gotham FC’s Front Office Sports last week she was “very against” a calendar switch, calling the NWSL a “completely different world” from MLS in terms of resources. “We’re borrowing time on MLS fields,” she said. “We’re not prioritized on our fields. We don’t have the same groundskeeping. We don’t have the same budgets and support for it.” Washington Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman shared similar sentiments. “I think there’s way too many locations that are way too cold. I don’t think we’ve fully thought through what that looks like if we have snowed-out games or just the conditions in general,” Rodman said last week. “For me, I just think we have to be fully prepared and have backup plans if we do potentially decide to do that, but right now I just think there are way too many locations that are going to be snowing in the middle of the season, so I don’t know if I’m fully for it at the moment.”