Expansion should not come at expense of player welfare, says NWSL chief

LONDON, Oct 8 : The growth of women's soccer worldwide needs careful collaboration to make sure players are not overloaded by increasing competitions, National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman said on Wednesday. 

FIFA's inaugural Women's Club World Cup is set to take place in January 2028, mid-season for Europe's top domestic leagues but in the close season for the NWSL.

The new 19-team tournament is scheduled to take place six months after the Women's World Cup in Brazil, and with anterior cruciate ligament injuries still blighting the women's game, Berman stressed the need for mutual understanding among all parties involved to make sure players are not overworked. 

"I think this next phase of growth really requires a ton of communication and collaboration between the different stakeholders, or tournament organisers, because we're all leveraging the same players for these different tournaments," Berman told reporters at the Leaders Week sports industry conference at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium.

"And we must communicate to make sure that we're optimising for their performance in a way that allows for us all to have the longevity and sustainability that we're looking to achieve.

"So, I think more details (are) to come from FIFA. We too are waiting for additional information about everything from the location to the format to the structure, and we will hope to continue to work with FIFA on making sure that it's curated in a way that supports the growth of the game globally."

POTENTIAL HOSTING BOOST

The Women's Club World Cup will have six teams in the play-in stage, with the three winners advancing to the group stage joining 13 other clubs. There will be four groups of four, with the top two teams from each progressing to the knockout stage.

The AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL confederations will each have two direct slots, while UEFA will have five berths. 

While FIFA has not announced a host, British media reports this month said the US was in advanced talks to stage the tournament. Should that be the case, the NWSL could get a boost from it, Berman said. 

"I think there's a lot of opportunity if it were to be hosted in America," she said. 

"I think I'd want to hear more about what the plans would be, but certainly (with) that exposure there could be benefits for our league and so we'll continue to be available to discuss opportunities that might exist in our market."

Defending NWSL champions Gotham, who will play in the Club World Cup, lead the 16-team league standings on 55 points, four ahead of San Diego, with three regular-season games remaining. The top eight teams contest the playoffs.

Berman, who became commissioner in 2022, did not put an upper limit on the number of teams the league could expand to but said 20 would be the "next touch point".