National Women 's Soccer league - wikipedia National Women 's Soccer league For the former Australian league, see Women 's National Soccer League. National Women 's Soccer League Founded 2012 ; 6 years ago ( 2012 ) Country United States Confederation CONCACAF ( North America ) Number of teams 9 Level on pyramid Current champions Portland Thorns FC ( 2nd title ) Current NWSL Shield North Carolina Courage ( 1st shield ) Most championships FC Kansas City Portland Thorns FC ( 2 titles ) Most NWSL Shields Seattle Reign FC ( 2 shields ) TV partners Lifetime Website nwslsoccer.com 2018 NWSL season The National Women 's Soccer League ( NWSL ) is a professional women 's soccer league, run by the United States Soccer Federation. At the top of the United States league system, it represents the sport 's highest level in the United States. The NWSL was established in 2012 as a successor to Women 's Professional Soccer ( 2007 -- 2012 ) which was the successor to Women 's United Soccer Association ( 2001 -- 2003 ). The league began play in 2013 with eight teams ; four of which were former members of Women 's Professional Soccer. With the addition of two expansion teams in Houston and Orlando since the league 's founding, it now has 9 teams based throughout the United States. Since the league 's inaugural 2013 season, three clubs have been crowned NWSL Champions and three clubs have claimed the NWSL Shield. The most recent shield - winners are the North Carolina Courage, who relocated to Cary, North Carolina during the 2016 -- 2017 offseason from New York, where they were known as the Western New York Flash. The current champions are Portland Thorns FC, who claimed their second championship in 2017 after being the inaugural champions in 2013. Contents 1 Competition format 2 History 2.1 Founding 2.2 Early years 3 Teams 3.1 Current teams 3.1. 1 Former teams 3.2 Membership Timeline 3.3 Expansion 4 Organization 4.1 Stadiums and attendance 4.2 Squad formation and salaries 4.3 Players ' association 5 League championships 6 Broadcasting 6.1 2013 6.2 2014 6.3 2015 -- 2016 6.4 2017 -- 2019 7 Records 7.1 Players 8 NWSL awards 9 NWSL commissioners 10 See also 11 References 12 External links Competition format The NWSL season runs from April -- September with each team scheduled for 24 regular season games, 12 each of home and road. At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the regular season title. The four clubs with the most points from the regular season standings qualify for the NWSL playoffs, which consist of two semifinal single knockout matches ( top seed hosts fourth ; second hosts third ), with the semifinal winners advancing to the championship final hosted by the team with most regular season points. History Founding After Women 's Professional Soccer ( WPS ) officially folded in April 2012, the United States Soccer Federation ( USSF ) announced a roundtable for discussion of the future of women 's professional soccer in the United States. The meeting, which included representatives from USSF, WPS teams, the W - League ( ceased operation in 2015 ), and the Women 's Premier Soccer League ( WPSL ), was held in June and resulted in the planning of a new league set to launch in 2013 with 12 -- 16 teams, taking from each of the three leagues. Compared to WPS, the teams would have a relatively low salary cap of $500,000, though this was later lowered to $200,000. In November 2012, it was announced that there would be eight teams in a new women 's professional soccer league that was yet to be named at the time of the announcement, subsidized by the USSF, the Canadian Soccer Association ( CSA ) and the Mexican Football Federation ( FMF ). The three federations would pay for the salaries of their national team players ( 24 from the US, 16 from Canada, and 12 to 16 from Mexico ) to aid the teams in creating world - class rosters while staying under the salary cap. The players would be distributed evenly ( as possible ) among the eight teams in an allocation process. USSF would run the league offices and set the schedule. On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Cheryl Bailey had been named Executive Director in the new league. Bailey had previously served as General Manager of the United States women 's national soccer team from 2007 to 2011, which included leading the support staff for the U.S. team during the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women 's World Cups, as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics. During her tenure with the women 's national team, she was in charge of all areas of administration including interfacing with clubs, team travel, payroll, and working with FIFA, CONCACAF, and other federations. Early years The first NWSL game was held on April 13, 2013, as the Portland Thorns visited FC Kansas City, playing to a 1 -- 1 draw in front of a crowd of 6,784 fans at Shawnee Mission District Stadium. Renae Cuellar scored the first goal in league history. The 2013 season saw regular - season attendance average of 4,270, with a high of 17,619 on August 4 for Kansas City at Portland. The NWSL became the first U.S. professional women 's soccer league to reach nine teams with the expansion of the MLS - backed Houston Dash in 2014 ; expansion interest, particularly from MLS teams, has continued. The third season saw a shortened schedule and some early - season roster instability due to the 2015 FIFA Women 's World Cup in Canada, but the World Cup also provided exposure to the NWSL, which was credited with boosting attendance numbers across the league. The league also became the first professional women 's league in the US to play more than three seasons when the league kicked off its fourth season in 2016. Teams Current teams Red Stars Dash Courage Pride Thorns Reign Sky Blue Royals Spirit Locations of National Women 's Soccer League teams. Nine NWSL teams are spread across the United States. Each club is allowed a minimum of 18 players on their roster, with a maximum of 20 players allowed at any time during the season. Originally, each team 's roster includes up to three allocated American national team players, up to two allocated Mexico women 's national team players, and up to two Canadian allocated national team players via the NWSL Player Allocation and subsequent trades. In addition, each team has four spots available for international players. The remaining roster spots must be filled by domestic players from the United States. Teams fill their rosters via a number of drafts and 4 -- 6 discovery player signings. National Women 's Soccer League Team Stadium Capacity City Founded Joined Head coach Chicago Red Stars Toyota Park 20,000 Bridgeview, Illinois 2006 2013 Dames, Rory Rory Dames Houston Dash BBVA Compass Stadium 7,000 Houston, Texas 2013 2014 Pauw, Vera Vera Pauw North Carolina Courage WakeMed Soccer Park 10,000 Cary, North Carolina 2009 2013 Riley, Paul Paul Riley Orlando Pride Orlando City Stadium 25,500 Orlando, Florida 2015 2016 Sermanni, Tom Tom Sermanni Portland Thorns FC Providence Park 21,144 Portland, Oregon 2012 2013 Parsons, Mark Mark Parsons Seattle Reign FC Memorial Stadium 6,088 Seattle, Washington 2012 2013 Andonovski, Vlatko Vlatko Andonovski Sky Blue FC Yurcak Field 5,000 Piscataway, New Jersey 2007 2013 Reddy, Denise Denise Reddy Utah Royals FC Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213 Sandy, Utah 2017 2018 Harvey, Laura Laura Harvey Washington Spirit Maryland SoccerPlex 4,000 Boyds, Maryland 2012 2013 Gabarra, Jim Jim Gabarra Jump up ^ BBVA Compass Stadium has a capacity of slightly over 22,039, but seating is restricted to 7,000 for Dash games. Jump up ^ Memorial Stadium has a capacity of 12,000, but standard seating capacity for Reign games is 6,088. Former teams Boston Breakers -- 2013 -- 2017 ( NWSL franchise ceased operations ) FC Kansas City -- 2013 -- 2017 ( NWSL membership interest re-acquired by the league and subsequently ceased operations ; its player - related assets were transferred to the expansion side Utah Royals FC ) Western New York Flash -- 2013 -- 2016 ( NWSL franchise sold and relocated as the North Carolina Courage ; organization now plays in the second - division United Women 's Soccer ) Membership Timeline Expansion Main article : NWSL expansion Soon after launch, the league reportedly planned to expand to ten teams for 2014. Potential candidates included groups not accepted as part of the original eight ; groups from the Los Angeles area ( joint effort from the LA Strikers and Pali Blues ) and from Hartford, Connecticut were confirmed failed bids, as was one from the Seattle Sounders Women. There was speculation that the Vancouver Whitecaps Women could be logical candidates especially given the 2015 FIFA Women 's World Cup in Canada ; however, the Whitecaps cancelled their women 's program ( except for one U-18 academy team ) in December 2012. During the inaugural season, there were rumors of expansion interest from MLS teams Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls, as well as confirmed interest from WPSL side the Houston Aces. NWSL team owners hinted that expansion for 2014 was not a question of `` if '' but `` how many ''. Despite this, it was announced during the playoffs that there would be no expansion for the league 's second season, though the Red Bulls and Sky Blue FC confirmed that they were in discussions for cooperation. During the first offseason, the Houston Dynamo added their name to the list of MLS teams interested in fielding a women 's side, stating that they were `` exploring the opportunity '' of starting an NWSL side in 2014 or ' 15 and in 2013 they announced the Houston Dash with 2014 as their inaugural season. By early December, NWSL approved a new team run by the Dynamo organization for expansion in 2014, despite their earlier statement that there would be no expansion for the league 's second season. During the second offseason, expansion talk grew rapidly, with three established men 's teams ( Real Salt Lake of MLS, the Indy Eleven of NASL, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro ) expressing interest in joining NWSL, as well as an unattached group from Atlanta. There was also rumored or suggested interest from three men 's teams in California, though none of those groups made official statements. Despite this interest, it was announced in late April 2015 that there would be no expansion for the 2016 season. However, after the well - publicized success of the US Women 's National soccer team, renewed interest in NWSL expansion caused reports from the owners ' meeting that `` a new team in 2016 has not been ruled out '', with potential expansion news to be revealed within a month. Commissioner Jeff Plush said that over a dozen interested groups had contacted the league in the post-World - Cup weeks ; MLS team Orlando City SC was one of the first newly interested groups made public. On October 20, 2015, it was announced that Orlando would be hosting the 10th NWSL team, the Orlando Pride, due to start the 2016 season. At that announcement, the Pride announced that they had hired former U.S. National Women 's Team coach Tom Sermanni. On November 16, 2017, it was announced that Real Salt Lake would expand into the NWSL beginning in the 2018 season. The Salt Lake City team, shortly thereafter unveiled as Utah Royals FC, is officially considered a new franchise that replaced FC Kansas City. That team, partnered with but not owned by Sporting Kansas City, was seen by media as an unintended victim of issues that Sporting was facing with its United Soccer League reserve team, Swope Park Rangers. Organization Stadiums and attendance Main articles : List of National Women 's Soccer League stadiums and National Women 's Soccer League attendance As of the upcoming 2018 season, the NWSL will use nine stadiums. The highest attendance in the league 's history occurred on April 23, 2016 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl when 23,403 people watched the Orlando Pride defeat the Houston Dash 3 -- 1 in a regular season home match. Other than this match, the top attendances in the league have occurred at Providence Park for home games of Portland Thorns FC. Squad formation and salaries In each season, teams receive a salary cap that limits their total spending on players. The salaries of allocated players from the United States, Canadian, and Mexican national teams are paid by their respective federations instead of their NWSL clubs, and do not count against their club 's salary cap. Non-allocated players, including international players, also have minimum and maximum salary limits. Players allocated by the US, Canadian, or Mexican federations are also exempt from these limits. Year Team cap Unallocated player salary limits Minimum Maximum 2013 $200,000 $6,000 $30,000 2014 $265,000 $6,842 $37,800 2015 2016 $278,000 $7,200 $39,700 2017 $315,000 $15,000 $41,700 All currency amounts are in USD Players ' Association Main article : National Women 's Soccer League Players Association Active non-allocated players, including unpaid amateur players, announced their formation of a players ' association on May 15, 2017, as the first step toward forming a union. Membership is limited to non-allocated players because allocated players are members of their own federation - affiliated labor organizations and negotiate contracts covering NWSL play with their respective national federations instead of the league or clubs. The association is led by civil rights attorney and former WPS players ' union organizer Meghann Burke. League championships This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2018 ) As of the end of the 2017, three clubs have been crowned NWSL Champions and four clubs have claimed the NWSL Shield. NWSL Major Trophy Winners Season NWSL Champions Play - off winners NWSL Shield Regular season winners 2013 Portland Thorns FC Western New York Flash 2014 FC Kansas City Seattle Reign FC 2015 FC Kansas City Seattle Reign FC 2016 Western New York Flash Portland Thorns FC 2017 Portland Thorns FC North Carolina Courage Broadcasting During the 2013 -- 2016 seasons, the majority of league games were available for viewing via YouTube or via individual team 's websites. Of the eight teams in the league during the inaugural season, the Boston Breakers were the only team that charged a fee for access to their broadcasts. 2013 On April 18, 2013, NWSL signed a one - year agreement with Fox Sports to televise six regular season games, the semi-final, and championship games on Fox Sports 2. 2014 On May 28, 2014, the NWSL signed a one - year agreement with ESPN to televise nine games of the 2014 NWSL season. The matches included three regular season and three playoff matches on ESPN2, as well as 3 regular season games live - streamed on ESPN3. 2015 -- 2016 On June 30, 2015, the NWSL announced a one - year agreement with Fox Sports once more to cover ten matches. Three regular season and three playoff matches were televised on FS1, and four live - streamed on Fox Sports Go. The agreement was extended into 2016 under another one - year contract, covering three regular season matches and the three playoff matches, once again on FS1. 2017 -- 2019 On February 2, 2017, the NWSL announced a three - year agreement with A + E Networks, in which Lifetime broadcasts 22 regular - season matches as the NWSL Game of the Week at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday afternoons, as well as three post-season matches. This marked the first time that the NWSL had a weekly broadcast window throughout the entire season. Players also wear a sleeve patch of the network 's logo on their uniforms. As part of the deal, A&E Networks also purchased a 25 % equity stake in the NWSL, were granted two seats on the league 's board, and formed a joint venture with the league known as NWSL Media to oversee the league 's marketing and broadcast rights. This deal marked the first time Lifetime had broadcast sports since the WNBA in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Lifetime also streams the game of the week in the United States via its website, and internationally in the NWSL website and iOS app. The remaining games are streamed exclusively by go90 in the United States as part of a paid multi-year sponsorship agreement, and through the NWSL website internationally. The quality of the streams through go90 faced criticism, with sportswriters, users, as well as players and team staff, criticizing the service for its inconsistent quality, and arguing that the NWSL 's growth could be harmed by go90 's relative lack of reach and prominence when compared to YouTube. The Equalizer noted that the app was prone to crashing, did not have the same wide device support as YouTube, and that the telecasts themselves suffered from their own technical problems ( such as poor camera angles and glitches with graphics ), but that the streams were good when they worked. On May 19, 2017, the league announced that they would additionally stream games on the NWSL website and app in the U.S. until the technical issues with go90 were rectified. After Houston Dash player Rachel Daly collapsed on the pitch after a match in Houston, on May 27 -- where the heat index was reportedly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit -- she was carried off on a stretcher and hospitalized for heat illness. League operations director Amanda Duffy subsequently announced that the NWSL Game of the Week matches, many of which were slated for the hottest parts of the day in humid cities such as Houston, Orlando, and Cary, North Carolina, would be rescheduled to allow for longer hydration breaks. Some Game of the Week matches changed to other venues, and teams not scheduled for television were granted more flexibility in rescheduling kickoffs for player safety. The league also adopted new procedures for addressing heat and rescheduling matches. Records Main article : NWSL records and statistics Statistics below are for all - time regular season leaders. Bold indicates active NWSL players. Players NWSL All - Time Regular Season Leading Goalscorers Last updated August 13, 2017 Bold indicates active player Rank Player Goals Samantha Kerr 43 Christen Press 35 Jessica McDonald 33 Kim Little 32 5 Allie Long 30 6 Megan Rapinoe 27 Carli Lloyd Christine Sinclair 9 Nadia Nadim 26 10 Alex Morgan 24 NWSL All - Time Playoff Leading Goalscorers Last updated October 14, 2017 Bold indicates active player Rank Player Goals Amy Rodriguez 6 Megan Rapinoe Christine Sinclair Lynn Williams 5 Crystal Dunn Tobin Heath Lindsey Horan Carli Lloyd Samantha Mewis Erika Tymrak NWSL awards Main article : NWSL awards Throughout the season, the league awards Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards to individual players, which are voted on by the media. The league presents six annual awards for outstanding achievements voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players and the media : Golden Boot Rookie of the Year Goalkeeper of the Year Defender of the Year Coach of the Year Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) In addition, the league names a NWSL Best XI team and NWSL Second XI team which are voted on by journalists, club officials and NWSL players. NWSL commissioners Name Years Cheryl Bailey 2012 -- 2014 Jeff Plush 2015 -- 2017 Vacant 2017 -- The league has operated without a full - time commissioner since Jeff Plush resigned on March 2, 2017. Amanda Duffy, hired in December 2016 as the league 's managing director of operations, has served as the public face of league management since Plush 's resignation, and the position of commissioner has remained vacant. See also Women 's association football portal Soccer in the United States portal Association football portal Women 's sport portal List of NWSL drafts NWSL Player Allocation List of foreign NWSL players Major women 's sport leagues in North America Major League Soccer Professional sports leagues in the United States List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada Women 's United Soccer Association ( 2001 -- 2003 ) Women 's soccer in the United States References Jump up ^ `` WILL NWSL BE A SUCCESS ? WELL... '' ESPN. Retrieved September 21, 2013. Jump up ^ Whiteside, Kelly ( November 21, 2012 ). `` Women 's pro soccer league to debut in U.S. next year ''. USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Seattle will have team in new women 's professional league owned by Bill Predmore ''. The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 21, 2013. Jump up ^ Kassouf, Jeff ( October 20, 2015 ). `` Orlando Pride named 10th NWSL team for 2016 ''. The Equalizer. 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Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey to step down ''. November 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Jeff Plush is new commissioner of women 's soccer league ''. January 6, 2015. Jump up ^ `` NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush Steps Down ''. OurSports Central. March 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Halloran, John D. ( May 8, 2017 ). `` Amanda Duffy Addresses NWSL Present and Future ''. American Soccer Now. Retrieved July 2, 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Women 's Soccer League. Official website National Women 's Soccer League Current teams Chicago Red Stars Houston Dash North Carolina Courage Orlando Pride Portland Thorns FC Utah Royals FC Seattle Reign FC Sky Blue FC Washington Spirit Former teams Western New York Flash ( 2013 -- 2016 ) FC Kansas City ( 2013 -- 2017 ) Boston Breakers ( 2013 -- 2017 ) Seasons 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Miscellaneous Expansion Records and statistics Attendance Stadiums Players Association Player lists Player allocation Drafts Foreign players Awards NWSL Shield Playoffs Annual awards Player of the Month Team of the Month Player of the Week United States women 's national soccer team General History Managers United States Soccer Federation Statistics Results All - time record World Cup records Olympic records Players Players Players Association USWNT All - Time Best XI U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year Awards & Honors FIFA Women 's World Cup winners ( 1991, 1999, 2015 ) Summer Olympic Games gold - medal winners ( 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 ) Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ( 1999 ) Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year ( 1999 ) Outstanding Team ESPY Award ( 2000, 2015 ) Glamour Awards : Game Changers ( 2015 ) New York City ticker - tape parade ( 2015 ) Rivalries Canada, Brazil, Mexico Matches Noted matches Media Film Dare to Dream : The Story of the U.S. Women 's Soccer Team Abby Head On ( 2013 ) An Equal Playing Field ( 2015 ) Television Just for Kicks ( 2002 ) Nine for IX : The 99ers ( 2013 ) The Kicks ( 2015 ) Keeping Score ( 2016 ) Video games FIFA 16 Associated professional leagues Women 's United Soccer Association ( WUSA ) 2001 - 2003, Women 's Professional Soccer ( WPS ) 2009 - 2011, National Women 's Soccer League ( NWSL ) 2013 -- present Women 's soccer in the United States Overview Club / Association teams Women 's football Leagues National Women 's Soccer League Women 's Premier Soccer League United Women 's Soccer Defunct Leagues Women 's United Soccer Association Women 's Professional Soccer Women 's Premier Soccer League Elite USL W - League Cups Women 's Open Women 's Amateur International National team Under - 23 Under - 20 Under - 17 Soccer in the United States U.S. Soccer Federation USASA USCS League system History Hall of Fame Awards Clubs Champions Venues ( stadiums by capacity SSS ) Women 's soccer in the United States Men 's national teams Senior ( results players ) U23 U20 U18 U17 Futsal Beach soccer Paralympic Cerebral palsy Women 's national teams Senior U23 U20 U18 U17 Men 's outdoor leagues Professional MLS Playoffs MLS Cup USL NASL Soccer Bowl Proposed : NISA USL Division III Amateur / Semi-pro NPSL PDL APSL CSL EPLWA GCPL SFSFL SoCal UPSL USLPA Women 's outdoor leagues Professional NWSL NWSL Shield Playoffs Amateur / Semi-pro WPSL UWS Men 's indoor leagues MASL M2 PASL WISL Men 's futsal leagues PFL MLF Men 's Cup competitions US Open Cup National Amateur Cup Hank Steinbrecher Cup Women 's Cup competitions SheBelieves Cup Tournament of Nations Women 's Open Men 's college soccer NCAA Championships ( Division I, Division II, Division III ) NAIA Championship Women 's college soccer NCAA Championships ( Division I, Division II, Division III ) NAIA Championship Youth soccer Leagues : AYSO NFHS USYSA U.S. Development Academy Super Y - League Competitions : US Youth Soccer National Championships Jefferson Cup Defunct men 's outdoor leagues AFA ( 1884 -- 1924 ) American Cup ( 1885 -- 1924 ) ALPF ( 1894 ) NAFL ( 1895 -- 98 ) AAFA Cup ( 1912 -- 13 ) ASL ( 1921 -- 33 ) ASL ( 1933 -- 83 ) NASFL ( 1946 -- 47 ) USA ( 1967 ) NPSL ( 1967 ) NASL ( 1968 -- 84 ) USL ( 1984 -- 85 ) LSSA ( 1987 -- 92 ) ASL ( 1988 -- 89 ) WSA ( 1989 ) USL 2nd ( 1990 -- 2010 ) A-League ( 1995 -- 2004 ) USL 1st ( 2005 -- 10 ) D2 Pro League ( 2010 ) PLA ( 2015 -- 2017 ) Defunct women 's outdoor leagues W - League ( 1995 -- 2015 ) WUSA ( 2000 -- 03 ) WPS ( 2007 -- 12 ) WPSL Elite ( 2012 -- 13 ) Defunct men 's indoor leagues NASL ( 1975 -- 76, 1979 -- 84 ) MISL ( 1978 -- 92 ) NPSL ( 1984 -- 2001 ) CISL ( 1993 -- 97 ) EISL ( 1997 -- 98 ) WISL ( 1998 -- 2001 ) MISL ( 2001 -- 08 ) AISL ( 2003 -- 08 ) XSL ( 2008 -- 09 ) MISL ( 2008 -- 14 ) Soccer in Canada Overview Canadian Soccer Association League system Hall of Fame Clubs Champions Venues Soccer - specific stadium Women 's soccer in Canada Coaches Leagues Men 's national teams Senior results records and statistics U-23 ( Olympic ) U-20 U-18 U-17 Futsal Beach soccer Men 's leagues Major League Soccer MLS Cup United Soccer League League1 Ontario Première Ligue de soccer du Québec Premier Development League Pacific Coast Soccer League Alberta Major Soccer League Canadian Soccer League ( Non-FIFA ) Canadian Premier League Men 's university soccer U Sports men 's soccer U Sports men 's soccer championship Atlantic University Sport Quebec Student Sport Federation Ontario University Athletics Canada West Universities Athletic Association Men 's college soccer CCAA Championship Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association Quebec Student Sport Federation Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference Pacific Western Athletic Association Women 's national teams Senior U-20 U-17 Women 's leagues National Women 's Soccer League Women 's Premier Soccer League League1 Ontario Women 's university soccer U Sports women 's soccer U Sports women 's soccer championship Cup competitions Canadian Championship Voyageurs Cup The Challenge Trophy Jubilee Trophy Other competitions Canadian Premier League ( proposed ) Soccer at the Canada Games Croatian - North American Soccer Tournament Defunct men 's leagues Canadian National Soccer League Canadian Soccer League ( 1987 -- 92 ) Open Canada Cup Victoria Challenge Cup USL First Division D2 Pro League ( 2010 ) Defunct women 's leagues W - League ( 1995 -- 2015 ) Top level women 's association football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean ( CONCACAF ) North America Mexico United States Central America Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Caribbean Bermuda Jamaica Top level women 's association football leagues around the world Africa ( clubs ) Algerian Women 's Championship ( Algeria ) Ghana Women 's Football League Namibia Women 's Super League ( Namibia ) Nigeria Women Premier League ( Nigeria ) ABSA Women 's League ( South Africa ) Asia ( clubs ) West Asia Jordan Women 's Football League ( Jordan ) Central Asia Kowsar Women Football League ( Iran ) Kyrgyzstan Women 's Championship ( Kyrgyzstan ) Uzbek women 's football championship ( Uzbekistan ) South Asia Indian Women 's League ( India ) National Women Football Championship ( Pakistan ) East Asia Chinese Women 's Super League ( China PR ) Chinese Taipei women 's football championship ( Chinese Taipei ) Hong Kong Women League ( Hong Kong ) Nadeshiko League ( Japan ) WK League ( Korea Republic ) Southeast Asia W - League ( Australia / New Zealand ) Pertiwi Cup ( Indonesia ) PFF Women 's League ( Philippines ) Thai Women 's League ( Thailand ) Vietnam women 's football championship ( Vietnam ) Europe ( clubs ) Albanian Women 's National Championship ( Albania ) ÖFB - Frauenliga ( Austria ) Belarusian Premier League ( Belarus ) Super League Vrouwenvoetbal ( Belgium ) Bosnia and Herzegovina women 's football championship ( Bosnia and Herzegovina ) Bulgarian women 's football championship ( Bulgaria ) Croatian Women 's First Football League ( Croatia ) Cypriot First Division ( Cyprus ) Czech First Division ( Czech Republic ) Elitedivisionen ( Denmark ) FA WSL ( England ) Naisten Liiga ( Finland ) Division 1 Féminine ( France ) Frauen - Bundesliga ( Germany ) Greek A Division ( Greece ) Női NB I ( Hungary ) Úrvalsdeild ( Iceland ) Women 's National League ( Ireland ) Ligat Nashim ( Israel ) Serie A ( Italy ) Kazakhstani women 's football championship ( Kazakhstan ) A Lyga ( Lithuania ) Eredivisie ( Netherlands ) Women 's Premiership ( Northern Ireland ) Toppserien ( Norway ) Ekstraliga ( Poland ) Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino ( Portugal ) Romanian Superliga ( Romania ) Russian Women 's Football Championship ( Russia ) Scottish Women 's Premier League ( Scotland ) Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino ( Spain ) Damallsvenskan ( Sweden ) Women 's Nationalliga A ( Switzerland ) Turkish Women 's First Football League ( Turkey ) Ukrainian Women 's League ( Ukraine ) Welsh Premier Women 's Football League ( Wales ) North and Central America, and the Caribbean ( clubs ) North America National Women 's Soccer League ( USA / Canada ) Liga MX Femenil ( Mexico ) Caribbean JFF / SDF Women 's League ( Jamaica ) Oceania ( clubs ) National Women 's League ( New Zealand ) South America ( clubs ) Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino ( Argentina ) Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino ( Brazil ) Geography of women 's association football Major women 's sport leagues in North America Women 's basketball Women 's National Basketball Association ( WNBA ) Women 's American Basketball Association ( WABA ) Women 's Blue Chip Basketball League ( WBCBL ) American Basketball League ( defunct ) National Women 's Basketball League ( defunct ) Women 's Professional Basketball League ( defunct ) NCAA Division I NCAA Division II NCAA Division III NAIA U Sports Women 's ice hockey Canadian Women 's Hockey League ( CWHL ) National Women 's Hockey League ( NWHL ) Western Women 's Hockey League ( defunct ) National Collegiate women 's ice hockey championship NCAA Division III women 's ice hockey ( NCAA ) U Sports women 's ice hockey Women 's soccer National Women 's Soccer League ( NWSL ) Liga MX Femenil Women 's Premier Soccer League ( WPSL ) United Women 's Soccer ( UWS ) Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil NCAA Women 's Soccer Championship NAIA Women 's Soccer Championship U Sports women 's soccer Women 's Professional Soccer ( WPS ) ( defunct ) Women 's United Soccer Association ( WUSA ) ( defunct ) Women 's League Soccer ( WLS ) ( defunct ) Women 's Premier Soccer League Elite ( defunct ) USL W - League ( defunct ) Women 's softball National Pro Fastpitch ( NPF ) NCAA Division I Softball Championship Women 's College World Series ( WCWS ) NAIA Softball Championship Women 's gridiron football Independent Women 's Football League ( IWFL ) Women 's Football Alliance ( WFA ) United States Women 's Football League ( USWFL ) Legends Football League ( LFL ) Maritime Women 's Football League ( MWFL ) Western Women 's Canadian Football League ( WWCFL ) LFL Canada ( LFL ) American Football Women 's League ( AFWL ) ( defunct ) Women 's American Football League ( WAFL ) ( defunct ) Women 's Football Association ( WFA ) ( defunct ) Ladies Tackle Football League ( LTFL ) ( defunct ) Women 's Football League ( WFL ) ( defunct ) Women 's Professional Football League ( WPFL ) ( defunct ) National Women 's Football Association ( NWFA ) ( defunct ) Other sports Ladies Professional Golf Association ( LPGA ) Women 's Flat Track Derby Association ( WFTDA ) National Ringette League ( NRL ) United Women 's Lacrosse League ( UWLX ) National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship NCAA Bowling Championship NCAA Women 's Division I Cross Country Championship NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship NCAA Division I Women 's Golf Championships NCAA Women 's Gymnastics Championships NCAA Division I Women 's Lacrosse Championship NCAA Division I Rowing Championship NCAA Women 's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships NCAA Women 's Tennis Championship NCAA Women 's Indoor Track and Field Championship NCAA Women 's Outdoor Track and Field Championship NCAA Women 's Volleyball Championship NCAA Women 's Water Polo Championship National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA Women 's Cross Country Championship NAIA Women 's Golf Championship NAIA Women 's Swimming and Diving Championships NAIA Women 's Tennis Championship NAIA Women 's Indoor Track and Field Championship NAIA Women 's Outdoor Track and Field Championship NAIA Volleyball Championship NAIA lacrosse Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Women%27s_Soccer_League&oldid=827355537 '' Categories : National Women 's Soccer League Sports leagues established in 2012 2012 establishments in the United States Women 's soccer leagues in the United States Professional soccer leagues in the United States Top level association football leagues in North America Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from January 2018 Articles with shield param Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Articles needing additional references from February 2018 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski Italiano 日本 語 Polski Português Русский ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 February 2018, at 06 : 39. 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Question: when does the national women's soccer league start
Answer: April