From Global Players' Advocate to NWSL Leader: Former Footballer Sarah Gregorius Poised to Transform Women's Soccer

On Friday, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) made a significant announcement: Sarah Gregorius, former FIFPro Director of Global Policy, has been appointed as the league's new Sporting Senior Director. This move marks a pivotal moment for the NWSL as it seeks to enhance player relations, optimize performance standards, and centralize best practices.

A New Chapter for Gregorius

Gregorius, who has a robust background in player welfare and rights protection, was drawn to this new role despite being content at FIFPro. Her decision to transition to the NWSL was influenced by the league’s desire for her expertise and her eagerness to contribute to a new dimension of football management. “I’m dead keen to learn and be exposed to other sides of football that I wouldn’t have seen working at FIFPro,” Gregorius shared. This new role allows her to directly impact policy, moving beyond advisory functions to actively shaping the league's direction.

It’s player welfare, player-rights protections, shifting the needle, shifting the balance to make it more favorable towards the players. So I’m also looking forward to finding out what I don’t know about the game and seeing how I interact with those other important pieces that go into decision-making.”

The NWSL’s Commitment to Growth

The NWSL's hiring of Gregorius signals a strong commitment to advancing player standards. The league is in a phase of significant growth, seeking to position itself competitively on the global stage. Recent changes, such as the elimination of entry drafts and alignment with global practices regarding player movement, reflect this ambition. Gregorius’ appointment underscores the league's dedication to improving player welfare and development, areas where she has extensive experience.

Innovating in Women’s Soccer

Gregorius is enthusiastic about the NWSL’s potential to innovate, given its relatively nascent history compared to established leagues in Europe. She believes the absence of entrenched traditions offers a unique opportunity for the NWSL to set new benchmarks. “I’m interested to be in an environment where it feels less like a sales pitch towards the men’s side,” Gregorius remarked. Her goal is to maintain a consistent standard across all teams, ensuring that quality player care is not limited to just the top-performing clubs.

“ “I’m really looking forward to being in an organization that has self-determination. It exists for one singular reason, and that’s for the women’s professional league that it governs and those players. That’s it. It has that autonomy. It has that independence. And I think what’s super-interesting about women’s football in the United States is it’s not dealing with a Premier League or La Liga — this hugely dominant men’s football industry or hierarchy.

A Vision for the Future

As Gregorius transitions into her role, she plans to visit all 14 NWSL teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of their operations and needs. Her approach will be hands-on, aiming to bridge any gaps and foster a more unified league experience. She also hopes to inspire other leagues globally by demonstrating the impact of forward-thinking policies and player-centric practices.

“The top players, they’re not going to any team in France, are they? They go to the top two. It’s the same in Spain. You don’t want that in the U.S. I think you have to be able to say, ‘This is the quality of care across the board, and that is guaranteed whether you’re signing for the team that finishes one to two, or the team that finishes 12 to 14’.”

Key Questions for the Future

1. How will Sarah Gregorius’ appointment influence the NWSL’s policies on player welfare and development?

2. In what ways can the NWSL’s innovations set a precedent for other women’s football leagues around the world?

3. What challenges might arise in maintaining consistent standards across all NWSL teams, and how can these be addressed?

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Mandarin / 汉语

尼一个全女性的高管领导团队将管理英格兰女子足球的两个顶级联 赛，这一决定是在足球协会（FA）决定将女子超级联赛（WSL）和女子冠军联赛的控制权移交给新成立的独立实体之后。这个新成立 的公司名为女子职业联赛有限公司（WPLL），之前被称为NewCo，将负责这两个联赛的运营。这一安排类似于英格兰足球联赛 （EFL）对男子冠军联赛、联赛一和联赛二的管理。WPLL的正式名称尚待确定。

该领导团队由四名高管组成，直接向首席执行官Nikki Doucet汇报工作。这些高管包括首席运营官Holly Murdoch、临时首席营销官Ruth Hooper、首席足球官Mirelle van Rijbroek以及首席收入官Zarah Al-Kudcy，后者的转会于6月被披露。这是首次公开公布完整的领导团队成员。

此外，WPLL确认，英超联赛已向WPLL提供了2000万英镑的无息贷款，以支持新实体，这将确保英超联赛在WPLL董事会中 拥有一个席位，直到贷款还清。英超联赛首席执行官Richard Masters对在女子足球的转型时期密切合作表示了热情。

WPLL的所有权结构包括WSL和女子冠军联赛的23个俱乐部，它们将持有新公司的股份。FA将保留一份“特殊股份”，具体细节尚未披露。FA还将有代表参与WPLL董事 会，并在达到某些目标后分享收入。这些资金将重新投入到基层项目中，以促进女子和女孩足球的发展。直到现在，FA自2011年和 2014年起分别管理WSL和女子冠军联赛。

日常运营将由Doucet及其领导团队负责，这将使他们成为女子足球中最有影响力的人员之一。Murdoch自2022年以来一直参与过渡过程，自20

WPLL的董事会成员也已部分公布。Dawn Airey将继续担任WSL和女子冠军联赛董事会的主席，并将领导新实体。三名独立非执行董事已经被任命：Sean Cornwell，前Direct Ferries首席执行官；Maria Raga Frances，前Depop首席执行官，该公司在2021年被Etsy以16亿美元收购；以及Malcolm Kpedekpo，一位前足球运动员，现为商业领袖，自2019年起担任苏格兰FA董事会成员。

WPLL旨在促进创新，宣布将采取“初创公司心态”，旨在推动 女子足球的增长和最大化潜力，同时将球员和球迷置于核心地位。Doucet对FA表示了诚挚的感谢，并强调有机会在现有坚实基础 上进一步提升英格兰女子职业足球的水平。

女子冠军联赛的赛季将于9月8日开始，WSL赛季于9月20日开 始。

这一全女性领导团队接管女子超级联赛和女子冠军联赛的变革，标志着女子足球发展的一大里程碑。将控制权从FA移交给独立机构，并获得英超联赛的财 政支持，表明了对女子足球 重要性和潜力的日益认可。这引出了几个重要问题：

- - WPLL的“初创公司心态”将如何影响其战略，是否真正将球员和球迷置于决策核心？虽然创新对增长至关重要，但平衡商业利益与球员和球迷的需求将是成功的关键。

- 英超联赛的参与将如何影响WPLL的自主性和完整性？鉴于英超联赛提供了2000万英镑贷款并在董事会中占有一席之地，这会促进合作，还是会引入男子和女子联赛之间的利益 冲突？

- FA在未来收入中的股份是否会对基层发展产生实质性贡献？考虑到基层投资对女子足球的长期成功至关重要，这些资金将如何分配，哪些基准将确保其有效使用？