# NWSL expands extra spending rule as clubs fight to retain leading players

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rodman-rule-has-been-revised-but-the-fight-to-keep-stars-in-the-nwsl-goes-on-moving-the-goalposts/
- Published: 2026-10-29T12:06:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T13:07:37+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/oct/29/rodman-rule-revised-fight-keep-stars-nwsl-moving-the-goalposts
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Football, Sport, TV

## Key points

- Every NWSL player will qualify for extra spending from next season.
- The revision follows a labour grievance over the original eligibility tests.
- NWSL clubs still face competition from Europe’s bigger-spending teams.

## Summary

The NWSL has revised its High Impact Player rule after settling a grievance with the players’ union, which argued that the original criteria breached federal labour law. From next season, every player will qualify, giving clubs more freedom to use money above the salary cap as they try to keep leading players in the league.

The original rule offered extra spending for players who met at least one of eight measures, including rankings, national-team minutes and NWSL awards. The change removes those tests, but the wider challenge remains: NWSL clubs operate under a salary cap and compete for talent with wealthy European teams, which can spend several times more than some US sides.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.