It’s no secret that 2021 was a tumultuous year for the NWSL league. Mired in allegations of abuse and a shocking league wide dereliction of duty in terms of player well-being. The seemingly endless revelations left a nasty stain on a league that was just beginning to gain some momentum. Lisa Baird left her post as league commissioner under a cloud of shame, particularly when star USWNT forward Alex Morgan shone the spotlight ion her handling of Mana Shim’s complaint.
The appointment of Jessica Berman brought with it a wave of optimism. The former deputy commissioner and executive vice president of business affairs at the National Lacrosse League is an experienced figure in sports. Berman also previously spent 13 years with the National Hockey League. She certainly has the experience to cope with the role.
And it’s certainly a difficult role to step into.
Dealing with the past…
The NWSL is at a real cross roads right now, and it needs to carefully consider its next steps to ensure it continues down a positive path and doesn’t take a wrong turn. The recent announcement pertaining to James Clarkson’s suspension by the Houston Dash served as a timely reminder to all NWSL observers that there’s still much work to be done. Dealing with the league’s murky past is the first step for Berman.
‘I do think it’s important for people to understand that while, from the outside perspective, it might seem like, ‘Whoa, what’s this about?’- this is a part of the process that was implemented in the fall. The joint investigative team has been working diligently and quietly behind the scenes, conducting interviews, which is what they are supposed to be doing. They’re supposed to be investigating any historical issues, of course, but also talking about anything that’s going on currently.’ Berman said in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Meg Linehan.
… and moving forward
It’s clear, from the outset that Berman wants clean up the leagues’ act. Berman told myself, and the assembled press pool, at her unveiling, that she wants to rebuild trust between the league, its players and its fans. There has to be transparency. For too long coaches, and other people in power, within the NWSL have been allowed to muddy the lines around what is deemed as acceptable behaviour. A culture of ‘Shhh, don’t tell’ had set in at certain clubs, Portland and Washington for example. For Berman, it’s going to be about how we eradicate that (Portland) and prevent it from happening again (Washington).
Clarkson’s suspension was ratified as swiftly as possible. The league didn’t wait for the results of the joint investigation team’s report. They just acted. To say this was a nice surprise, is something of an understatement. Which perhaps says something about the league’s neglectful safeguarding standards in the past.
The NWSL has long regarded itself as the best league in the world, which is a noble sentiment. That notion hasn’t sat well with me for the last year or so. After all, how can you say the NWSL is the best league in the world, when the safety of it’s players doesn’t even seem to be a priority? The early signs are, that Berman is looking to oversee change in that regard.
🗣️ New #NWSL Comissioner Jessica Berman: 'The time to build trust is now'.#NWSLChallengeCup
— The English Lion 🦁⛲🇺🇦🌈 (@TheEnglishLion1) March 9, 2022
Accessibility
It’s not just concerning matters off the field, where the NWSL finds itself at the proverbial fork in the road. Attendances are an issue. At least in some markets. During the 2021 season, attendances fell in 5 of the (then) 10 markets from 2019 to 2021. Obviously Angel City and San Diego Wave have hit the ground running in terms of their attendance numbers, so there’s a glimmer of hope.
Attendance numbers for women’s soccer globally, however, are increasing exponentially. We’ve obviously had incredible numbers at the Camp Nou for some recent FC Barcelona games. We even saw 24,000 turn out for a 4th tier game in England at Newcastle United lately.
The threat of Europe
How does the NWSL go about riding the crest of this particular wave? Exposure. It’s really that simple. The league lags behind it’s European competitors in terms of broadcasting rights. The NWSL currently has a broadcast deal with CBS, yet the network does not seem to prioritise the league at all. Only 2 regular season games and the NWSL Championship game are being broadcast on the network’s flagship channel. Three games out of an entire season. The network’s twitter account @CBSSportsHQ, has yet to tweet about the league this year.
That’s just not good enough.
Which, sort of says it all really. Yet, if you cast your eye over the pond, the FAWSL, that particular league has a multi million dollar deal with Sky Sports and the BBC. Sky has a Twitter account dedicated to the WSL, has introduced studio analysis and regularly advertises WSL games during flagship Premier League matches. And viewing numbers have been positive. If you put the product out there and make it accessible, not just for fans watching at home, but for fans wanting to head to the stadium too, people will dial in show up.
The NWSL deserves better, and Berman will need to work to address this.
Guarding against complacency
Europe is catching up. There’s money and prestige in Europe. We’re seeing a lot of the world’s best players choose Europe over the NWSL. And that’s not me being controversial or facetious. It’s a very real issue. That being said, the NWSL is still the most competitive league in the world; there’s no doubting that. It’s the only league in the world, whereby a team can finish bottom, or middle of the road, one year and then win the Championship the next. Hey, Washington Spirit.
The league shouldn’t rest on its laurels. Which I would argue it has done in the past. Berman needs to address that.
The league has to sell itself
The biggest clubs in Europe have realised there’s potential in the women’s game. Who knew, right? Spoiler, we all did. Clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City are throwing money at the game. These clubs are powerhouses of the sport. Previously, the NWSL had the carrot of being the only fully professional league. That’s not the case anymore.
The NWSL has to make itself a more attractive prospect. It has to offer greater financial incentives and a greater, more accessible product. And that’s difficult with a very limited wage structure and a sub par broadcast deal with a broadcaster that plainly does not care for the league or its growth.
The standard of refereeing
The officiating standards in the NWSL are sub-par at best. You only needed to view the recent NWSL Challenge Cup final to discern that. Issues surrounding pay and training for referees are plentiful. VAR is conspicuous only by its absence; PRO (the organisation that is in charge of NWSL and MLS refereeing) say it’s too expensive.
If that sounds like excuse making, I believe it is. A number of NWSL clubs play in MLS stadia, a competition that utilises VAR. NWSL is not a priority for PRO.
I’m not convinced that money is the main issue here. That’s my personal opinion.
The standard of refereeing in the recent NWSL Challenge Cup was just… Wow. The clip below isn’t even the worst example of idiotic decision making that befell this game.
There comes a point where player safety is compromised. We are already at that point, sadly.
Sam Staab with a horrendous tackle in the box… but no PK… again.#NCvWAS | 1 – 1 pic.twitter.com/d0wRQFGLK1
— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) May 7, 2022
Your move, Commissioner.
Written by Dan Berridge
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