Can't seem to find much information regarding $$ talk for WPS and it's teams. Any idea what the salary cap is? And furthermore, any idea what the general salary ranges are for certain players? For that matter, what are the rookies going to get paid? Thanks.
Don't know about a salary cap, but WNT players are expected to get paid around $30k/year. Marta, on the other hand, is reported to have $1.5mil over three years. Dunno about anyone else.
I believe that figure for Marta includes sponsorship (PUMA) money and isn't just her salary. I'll go search for the released terms... In my search, I found that Jenn Striker reports a general salary structure that goes from 47,500 to 12,875. She also reports that Marta will make ~225,000 from the league, another 225,000 from Puma, a possible equity stake in the league, and has various other "perks" in her contract (cell phone, house, car). Now, Jenn Striker's report/sources may or may not be correct but it at least provides actual numbers.
I know the league wants to be fiscally responsible, but that's downright depressing. So Marta's going to be making 10 times what several of the National Team players are making? I know a lot of it is sponsorship money and she is a great player, but if I'm on the WNT, I'm kind of hacked off about that.
That is becasue the USWNT has to negotiate as a TEAM... so everyne on the USWNT will make the same, even if some players would command a larger salary on their own
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the WPS is a seperate entity from the USWNT. The individual owners of WPS do not take orders from the USWNT, Sunil Gulatti, Pia or anyone else. Pia chooses players for the USWNT to play the style she wants and that may not necessarily be choosing the best players in the country. It took the WUSA for Shannon Boxx to get recognized by the USWNT coaches. And by the way, the league is made up of more than just USWNT players. The WPS teams need to have good attendance and Marta will draw crowds. Marta is an investment by the LA Sol ownership and they have every right to pay who ever they want what ever they want to get a return in their investment. I don't know of a single player on the USWNT that has the star power of Marta and has that much power to command a huge salary. Not since Mia have we had a star player in that catagory. I am a huge supporter of the USWNT for many, many years, and in Mia's day the packed stadiums. Today they can barely muster 5-7,000 people in attendance. So until we get a superstar like a Marta or Mia used ti be that draw crowds, no one on our National Team deserves her type of pay in a Pro League. Unless the owner wants to pay it.
Please reread my post... THE USWNT IS NOT ALLOWED TO SIGN UNDER SEPERATE AGREEMENTS. They are bound to ONE contract as a UNIT. Hope Solo or HAO could easily ask for and get 100K if they were permitted to
What must be depressing to a majority of drafted US players is that they will be making $20K or less. Even if the broad WNT pool is defined as anyone invited by Pia to a camp, that total size including regular WNT members is not much more than about 30, if that. I don’t know if the players who went to the combines and were drafted knew these numbers, but how many, esp those in the draft’s late rounds, will move cross country to earn these wages?
Here is something to take into consideration. The overall budgets for these teams are 1.5 to 2.5 mil. So we are not talking about a lot of money. And that's for everything not just player salaries.
Given the privately owned nature of the league, you're not likely to. I'm sure the league will leak some info to reporters - especially if they find it to their advantage. I'm guessing a few high profile players will end up with their wage information getting released, too. I do not believe there is currently a WPS players union. At such a time that one forms, then it's more likely that the union would release a salary list. Usually to point out how little the players make in an effort to sway public opinion towards their plight.
For half a years work that doesn't prevent them from holding a college/high school/club coaching job. WPS is not a 12 month gig. Growing up in the 60s/70s I remember MLB and NFL players in Kansas City that had off-season jobs. And $20k of sports salaries is not the same as $20k at the local bank. Players typically get various other "income" from per diems to supplied clothing, health care, meals, appearance fees for public appearances (schools, hospitals, malls). They almost certainly won't get 401k's or other benefits like that, though. And they'll have six months out of the year where they can work, spend a fall semester in college working on degrees, play overseas for money, etc...
And the value of "actual numbers" if they're apparently snatched out of thin air...? No credible sources = no credibility, as far as I'm concerned. (We're talking about someone who wrote that Marta wouldn't come to the WPS because she was afraid of the competition. Clueless to the billionth degree. But yes, she writes a lot. Which MUST make it all true.)
Good point. Another good point. I'm not sure how much Marta's signing has to do with "star power" and how much it has to do with buying legitimacy for WPS as "the women's pro soccer league". By the end of 2001, even Mia didn't guarantee the USWNT crowds greater than 5-7k. The post-99 bubble didn't really last that long.
No doubt Marta will draw crowds and no doubt that she is the best player, but if I remember correctly, Hope Solo and the US stonewalled them in the Olympics. And having Marta will guarantee crowds (and therefore revenue), but she definitely doesn't guarantee a winner (not that it's her fault). Brazil, atlhough often considered the most talented team, usually falls short (against Germany in WC 2007 and against US in Olympics 2008) and even her club team in Sweden did not win with her until last year. Marta will help LA with attendance and since they are the ones paying her, they are the ones that must judge what she's worth to their organization. But Marta is only going to help the rest of the league draw once or twice a year. The rest of the time, those fans will be coming out to see the American players primarily (not to shortchange the other internationals who are very talented but much less well known here in the states). I'm just saying I think that the National Team players have earned a bit more respect than they're getting, both on the field and on their paychecks.
I'm just nit-picking here, but Marta's five seasons with Umeå IK in the Swedish league resulted in four Swedish championships, one Swedish Cup and one UEFA Women's Cup. And two Swedish Super Cups (league winner vs cup winner). And just my two cents on the salary issue. The league management has repeatedly stated that it was important, even essential, to get Marta to WPS. If that's the case, you have to pay whatever the market value is, which turned out to be pretty steep. Other players are available for a much lesser price. This is fairly simple market rules. The market might very well turn out to be wrong - we've all seen that happen - but you have to make your deals now. Signing Marta is the first action from the WPS that has received world wide attention. If you try to exchange the free press the deal received into marketing dollars, Marta has probably already earned back a good chunk of her salary to her club and league.
I stand corrected and it wasn't nitpicking, it was a proper correction on your part. I was just referring to the league cup, but to be fair, I should have considered all of the competitions. Still, it is a far cry from domination. Again, I am not saying this as a criticism of Marta, but to point out that one player, no matter how great, doesn't guarantee a championship. I will be interested to see just how much additional attendance each team will have when Marta and the Sol are visiting. Of course, two or three of the venues have limited capacities, so they can only improve so much. The larger venues (Boston and Chicago) will, I imagine, see a pretty good bump in attendance for those games.
If anyone gets to depressed they only have to talk to Michelle Akers and the 1985 team members. For that matter they can talk to Hamm, Fawcett, and Lilly from the 1987 team. They were lucky to have matching uniforms let alone a salary.
How many players in the WPS are signed to contracts at this time. I have seen some stuff out of the Breakers & Freedom camps plus Marta in LA but what about the rest of the league. I have seen on others threads 18 players & 4 developmental players thats 154 players at the most and more like 126 on the rosters. How many of the 126 are really signed?
Yes and no. Let's just say I mingled a lot at the Trivia night and may have weasled a bit of info out. Unfortunatly, it was said quick and I wasn't sure about some of the names. I think that they are waiting to make an announcement though so I'm not giving them away. But I was happy with the names he rattled off. Yeah, I know I sound like the "I know who the expansion teams are" guys, but I don't want people to worry. The impression I got was that there were contracts signed. A few of them actually. Lets hope he was telling the truth and not just drunk rambling.
You were very strategically placed near Cooper's table at the trivia night. You mingle well! Okay, I'll take your word for it. I promise I won't gripe about no signings for at least...oh...another couple weeks. Seriously, that's good to hear. I'm looking forward to the announcement.