• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 25, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

NWSL Inks Partnership Aimed At Closing Equal Pay Gap

  • The deal will make UKG the title sponsor for the 2023 Challenge Cup — but will begin benefiting players’ pocketbooks this year.
  • Player bonuses will go up 10x this year.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

HR company UKG has signed a deal with the NWSL that will directly increase player compensation, the two companies announced on Friday.

The league is calling the multiyear partnership, brokered by Elevate Sports Ventures, “the first-ever women’s professional soccer tournament to achieve pay equity with its U.S. peers in the men’s game” — in this case, the MLS Cup.

UKG will become the title sponsor for the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup — but the deal will begin benefiting players’ pocketbooks this year. 

For the 2022 Challenge Cup, which will crown a champion on Saturday, player bonuses will pay out $10,000 for the winners, $5,000 for the runners-up, and $1,500 for the semifinalists, a source close to the deal told Front Office Sports. That’s more than 10 times as high as last year. 

And in 2023, the entire pool will almost double again, reaching $1 million, the source said.

The brand has also inked deals with Christen Press and Sydney Leroux.

“We have fought long and hard for pay equal to that of our male counterparts, and we need more people to take a stand on closing the pay gap and fighting for fair and consistent pay for everyone,” Press said in a statement.

The news builds on positive momentum for women’s professional soccer after a major sexual assault scandal revealed last year caused a reckoning in the NWSL.

In February, USWNT players agreed to a preliminary settlement in their equal pay lawsuit. 

Last week, the league’s new commissioner, Jessica Berman, and NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke ratified the first-ever NWSL collective bargaining agreement. They inked it during the pregame of the inaugural match of the league’s newest expansion team, Angel City FC. 

The match was played in front of 22,000 fans — a league record, Berman said at the ESPNW Summit on Wednesday, adding, “What else do we need to do to prove that women’s sports has business value?”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Angel Reese

Cathy Engelbert, WNBA All-Stars Trade CBA Barbs: ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’

The commissioner called the WNBPA’s characterization of labor talks ‘not accurate.’ 
Aliyah Boston

Aliyah Boston Is Latest WNBA Player to Invest in NWSL Team

Boston joins a select group that includes Sabrina Ionescu.
Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after his basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

After Decade Apart, ESPN and Big East Rekindle Media Rights Relationship

After a decade-plus apart, the network will stream hundreds of conference events.

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.
March 4, 2025

Eagles Make Saquon Barkley NFL’s Highest-Paid Running Back Ever

Barkley is coming off a historic 2024 season with the Eagles.