Whether it’s calling a sport by another name or operating leagues without relegation, the United States does a lot of things “differently” in the sporting world. With the offseason in full swing, it’s almost time for one of those things that makes the US unique: the NWSL Draft.
So, what actually is the Draft?
The Draft is an event held every offseason in which the teams of the National Women’s Soccer League select potential new players from a list of eligible athletes, vetted by the League in a carefully curated order.
But who are these “eligible players”?
Previously, this was much more self-explanatory. In its beginnings in 2013, players were eligible for what was then called the “NWSL College Draft” only after they had exhausted all of their college eligibility. This changed in 2019 when players were given the option to “forego any remaining college eligibility” instead of having to exhaust it!
And that brings us closer to where we stand on eligibility today. The main components for who is considered an eligible player in the 2023 NWSL Draft come down to this:
i. Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or a foreign national who is currently or was enrolled at a university in the United States during the 2022-23 academic year; and
ii. Be an Individual who has exhausted, lost, or renounced their remaining collegiate eligibility during the 2022 calendar year, including high school graduates choosing to forego collegiate eligibility; and
iii. Turn at least 18-years old on or before December 31, 2022;
iv. Not be under a current professional contract, nor have previously signed a contract to play soccer professionally; and
v. Register for the NWSL Draft by the registration deadline (Monday, January 9th at 11:59 p.m. ET).
However, there is a new entry method to this draft that offers a way around the third requirement on this list.
The NWSL has recently ruled that “with the consent of the player and their parent or legal guardian, teams may place eligible players on an Under-18 Entry List”. Meaning that we may be seeing some younger names in the Draft, should they follow all initial rules and any additional criteria that is required.
Additionally, it should be noted that players voluntarily register themselves for the NWSL Draft! While all players may not be selected during the Draft, as long as they meet the listed requirements they are able to register.
Okay, how does the NWSL Draft work?
The Draft is a fairly complex event, so we’ll start with the basic structure.
There are four rounds in which 12 selections can potentially be made. Teams must wait their turn to pick a player from the list provided by the league, with each team getting five minutes to make picks in the first round, and three minutes for each of the three rounds that follow. Teams have the ability to forfeit a draft pick, in which case no pick is made, and the next team in line would be on the clock for their selection.
Once a team decides on the player they wish to select, they notify the league, and it is announced to all teams publicly. After the announcement is made, the next team is “on the clock” to make their pick. If a team needs more time to make a selection, they have three, three minute timeouts available to them over the course of the Draft. These timeouts cannot be “stacked” and must be spread throughout the Draft if used.
To keep things running smoothly and ensure all is in order, the league is also permitted to call their own timeouts.
What is often the most complex and debated part of the event?
Draft order. Draft order is initially decided based on where teams ranked on the league table at the conclusion of the previous regular season, accounting also for the Championship match. With the table in mind, teams are then assigned their picks in reverse order of how they finished. The team at the bottom of the table receives the first pick of the first round and the team who won the Championship receives the last pick of the first round.
For reference, in the 2023 NWSL Draft the first pick is set to go to NJ/NY Gotham FC who finished 12th in the league, while the 12th pick should go to the Portland Thorns who were the 2022 NWSL Champions.
But wait, there’s more!
The original Draft order is determined by ranking, but that’s more of a rough draft. Draft picks are tradable assets, and as such teams have the ability to negotiate trades both before and during the Draft.
For example, based on rankings the Washington Spirit should have the second pick of the 2023 NWSL Draft. However, the Orlando Pride acquired the natural first-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft from the Washington Spirit as part of the late 2020 trade that saw Washington acquire defender Emily Sonnett. While the Spirit could not have known at the time that it was the second overall pick that they would be giving away, trading their “natural first-round pick” meant that the Pride got whatever pick was naturally given to the Spirit in the first round, based on their ranking.
When trades are being made on the fly during the Draft, timeouts can come in handy, allowing teams more time to negotiate and finalize decisions.
There is a caveat though that trades made during the Draft including current players can not be announced until approved by the League and made official. Players must be notified of the trade by their Team before their name is allowed to be released publicly. The phrase “a player to be named later” comes into play in order to accommodate these rules but inform the public that a player’s rights are involved in the deal.
Alright when is this all happening?
The 2023 NWSL Draft is Thursday, January 12th at 6 p.m. ET during the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, PA.
The Draft will start on CBS Sports Network from 6 to 7 p.m. ET before switching to streaming live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports HQ from 7 to 11 p.m. ET.