Women’s Super League salary floor details revealed in new financial rules | OneFootball

Senior Women’s Super League players will be guaranteed a minimum annual salary of £40,000 under financial rules brought in this season.

The salary floor has different levels depending on the age of the player and whether their club is in WSL1 or WSL2, but those aged 23 and over in the top flight will receive at least £40,000.

The bottom salary bracket for young players in WSL2 is understood to be above the national living wage, enabling all players in the top two divisions to be fully professional for the first time. Several Championship clubs are understood to have paid less than the minimum wage last season, leaving many players taking second and third jobs to make ends meet.

The senior player salary floor is higher than the minimum wage in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League, which is $48,500 (£36,100) this year, reinforcing the WSL’s position as the pre-eminent women’s league. The NWSL has committed to increasing its minimum salary to $82,500 by 2030.

English clubs are increasingly competing with their American counterparts to sign top players. There have been four signings by English clubs in excess of €1m (£870,000) this year, with Chelsea breaking the world record to sign the USA defender Naomi Girma in February for £900,000 before signing her international teammate Alyssa Thompson for about £1.1m from Angel City last month. Arsenal signed Canada’s Olivia Smith from Liverpool for £1m in July before London City Lionesses raised the bar by paying £1.4m to bring in Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain last month.

The WSL, unlike the NWSL, has not introduced a salary cap, but the minimum standards have been accompanied by a more robust system of financial controls which limits the money owners can put into their club. As reported last month the regulations in operation from this season will allow clubs to spend up to 80% of their women’s team’s revenue, plus a capped contribution from owners, whereas previously the cap was 40% of the parent club’s revenue.

The rules are an attempt to equalise potential spending between those clubs and teams such as London City, while encouraging investment. It is understood that the additional funding cap has been set at £4m, which will allow owners without revenue streams from men’s clubs to invest in their squads without creating a free-for-all.

London City took advantage of the owner funding mechanism after their promotion to the WSL to sign 16 players this summer with the backing of Michele Kang, who also owns the French champions OL Lyonnes.

The WSL declined to comment.

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