Rodman rule

The Rodman rule,^[1][2] officially the High Impact Player Rule,^[3] is a caveat to the National Women's Soccer League's salary cap rules, allowing member clubs to exceed the salary cap for players who meet any of several criteria based on their individual marketability. The NWSL introduced the rule in December 2025, widely understood to be in order to prevent Trinity Rodman leaving for a league without salary cap in the January 2026 window; the implementation of the rule was heavily criticized.

Trinity Rodman playing for the Washington Spirit in 2025; the rule was introduced that year largely to allow Rodman to renew with the club

History and implementation

Background: salary cap

See also: National Women's Soccer League § Squad formation and salaries

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) uses a salary cap model that limits a whole club's roster to an overall limit. The NWSL clubs and players' union NWSLPA have lobbied for a higher salary cap, to allow for different options in roster building and better salaries for squad players. Many other women's national soccer leagues, including the Big Five, do not have salary caps; the NWSL also feared that the ability for such European clubs to spend big on star players would reduce quality in the NWSL. In 2025, the NWSL salary cap was increased by $200,000 as part of its season-on-season increase, taking the per-club cap to $3.5 million. The highest-earning players in Europe reportedly earn over $1 million individually a season. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman indicated the annual increases may not continue after 2026, stating that "in order to treat [the NWSL] like a business, it means that the amount that our teams are investing has to have a rational relationship to revenue."^[4][5]

Rodman contract renewal

Trinity Rodman became the then-highest-paid NWSL player in 2022, with a contract over four seasons worth $1.1 million.^[6][7] This contract will expire on December 31, 2025, making Rodman a free agent with interest from European clubs (and able to negotiate contracts from six months prior); with questions of their salary cap impeding Rodman staying in the NWSL, Berman said the league would fight to retain her.^[4][8] At the start of December 2025, Rodman agreed a new contract with her club, the Washington Spirit, averaging at $1.1 million per season but back-loaded to allow for higher annual pay in years with higher salary caps; the NWSL (with which contracts are ultimately agreed) rejected the contract due to violating the spirit of the league's salary cap rules, without outright breaking them. The NWSLPA filed a grievance on behalf of Rodman, which caused the NWSL board to convene with an aim to changing rules to allow more freedom in the contracts it would permit.^[8] Media in the United States and Europe reported at the time that, after losing players like Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma to the Women's Super League (WSL), Rodman was the litmus test to determine if the NWSL would be structurally able to retain any of its top players, that the threat of Rodman leaving was "symbolically enormous" and the grievance outcome would reshape how salaries are handled in the NWSL.^[9][10]

High Impact Player Rule

On December 23, 2025, the NWSL introduced what they called the High Impact Player Rule, a rule creating a caveat to the salary cap. It will allow, from 2026, NWSL clubs to spend $1 million above their salary cap on the wages of High Impact Players (HIP). HIPs must meet at least one of eight (it is only possible to meet up to seven) criteria that the NWSL has chosen to designate the most marketable women's footballers in the world. Rodman meets all seven criteria for which she is eligible; a source close to the league said the rule is "bigger than one player". Clubs may use the money above the cap to subsidise the salaries of one or multiple HIPs.^[11][12] Any contract using the rule must set the cap charge for HIPs at a minimum of 12% of the base salary cap.^[1] The rule will come into place on July 1, 2026, but contracts which will use it can be signed and begin before then, as long as no salary money above the cap is paid until after.^[12] The phasing-out of allocation money also means the HIP money would replace that, broader, method of supplementing salaries.^[9]

The $1 million allowance is expected to increase season-on-season in line with salary cap increases, and has been compared to Major League Soccer (MLS)'s Designated Player Rule (the Beckham rule), which was introduced in order to bring high-salary players, specifically David Beckham, into the MLS from abroad. Though using the same mechanism to enhance salary, the Rodman rule is instead designed to help the NWSL retain top American talent,^[13] and uses different mechanisms in player designation. Clubs cannot decide which players to designate above the salary cap themselves, but can apply the extra salary to pre-determined eligible players based on the set criteria.^[12]

Criteria

The NWSL described the HIP eligibility criteria as being a mix of "commercial and sporting".^[14]

Source(s):^[11]

1. Listed on SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes, within the one year prior to the current league season
2. Nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin (i.e. included in the top 30), in the two years prior to the current league season
3. Included in the top 40 on The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World list (published by The Guardian), in the two years prior
4. Included in the top 40 of the ESPN50 (ESPN FC's top 50 football players in the world list), in the two years prior
5. For outfield players: Have among the top 11 most minutes played among outfielders for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) in all competitions, in the prior two calendar years
6. For goalkeepers: Have the most minutes played among goalkeepers for the USWNT in all competitions, in the prior two calendar years
7. Be an NWSL Most Valuable Player finalist, within the previous two league seasons
8. Be included in the NWSL Best XI, within the previous two league seasons

List of eligible High Impact Players

At the time of the rule's introduction, CBS Sports broke down the eligibility lists into groups of players meeting five–seven of the criteria, those meeting three–four of the criteria, and those meeting one or two criteria. It noted that looking at the top group made it apparent the rule seems designed to accommodate Rodman, and that the middle group was more diverse in its mix of NWSL stand-outs and international stars. With only one USWNT goalkeeper automatically eligible, CBS described it as "a quirk" that this fell to Alyssa Naeher, whose minutes were accumulated before she retired internationally.^[12]

As of 24 December 2025^[update], for the 2026 NWSL season

Player	National team	League	Eligible through criteria:								Notes
			Performance & marketability[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]				USWNT minutes[22][23]		NWSL awards[24][25][26][27]
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Trinity Rodman	United States	NWSL	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Sophia Wilson	United States	NWSL	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Marta	Brazil	NWSL	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Lindsey Heaps	United States	Première Ligue	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Temwa Chawinga	Malawi	NWSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Barbra Banda	Zambia	NWSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Esther González	Spain	NWSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Alexia Putellas	Spain	Liga F	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Aitana Bonmatí	Spain	Liga F	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Lucy Bronze	England	WSL	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Lauren James	England	WSL	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Patricia Guijarro	Spain	Liga F	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Salma Paralluelo	Spain	Liga F	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Emily Fox	United States	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Alyssa Naeher	United States	NWSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Pernille Harder	Denmark	FBL	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Keira Walsh	England	WSL	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Caroline Weir	Scotland	Liga F	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Klara Bühl	Germany	FBL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Melchie Dumornay	Haiti	Première Ligue	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Cristiana Girelli	Italy	Serie A	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Sandy Baltimore	France	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Caroline Graham Hansen	Norway	Liga F	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Clàudia Pina	Spain	Liga F	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Hannah Hampton	England	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Ewa Pajor	Poland	Liga F	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Leah Williamson	England	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Chloe Kelly	England	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Alessia Russo	England	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Mariona Caldentey	Spain	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Tabitha Chawinga	Malawi	Première Ligue	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Yui Hasegawa	Japan	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Lauren Hemp	England	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Marie-Antoinette Katoto	France	Première Ligue	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Mayra Ramírez	Colombia	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Khadija Shaw	Jamaica	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Mallory Swanson	United States	NWSL	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Naomi Girma	United States	WSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Delphine Cascarino	France	NWSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Ann-Katrin Berger	Germany	NWSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Sam Coffey	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Mapi León	Spain	Liga F	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Sofia Cantore	Italy	NWSL	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd	Sweden	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Giulia Gwinn	Germany	FBL	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Ada Hegerberg	Norway	Première Ligue	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Sjoeke Nüsken	Germany	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Lea Schüller	Germany	FBL	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Grace Geyoro	France	WSL	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Ona Batlle	Spain	Liga F	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Linda Caicedo	Colombia	Liga F	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Stina Blackstenius	Sweden	WSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Jule Brand	Germany	Première Ligue	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Kadidiatou Diani	France	Première Ligue	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Guro Reiten	Norway	WSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Fridolina Rolfö	Sweden	WSL	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Rose Lavelle	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Manaka Matsukubo	Japan	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Beth Mead	England	WSL	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Mary Earps	England	Première Ligue	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Millie Bright	England	WSL	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Steph Catley	Australia	WSL	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Clara Mateo	France	Première Ligue	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Frida Maanum	Norway	WSL	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Amanda Gutierres	Brazil	Brasileirão	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Manuela Giugliano	Italy	Serie A	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Gabi Portilho	Brazil	NWSL	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Tarciane	Brazil	Première Ligue	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir	Iceland	FBL	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Cata Coll	Spain	Liga F	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Alexandra Popp	Germany	FBL	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Georgia Stanway	England	FBL	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Irene Paredes	Spain	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Katie McCabe	Republic of Ireland	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Erin Cuthbert	Scotland	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Olga Carmona	Spain	Première Ligue	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Alex Greenwood	England	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Selma Bacha	France	Première Ligue	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Vicky López	Spain	Liga F	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Aggie Beever-Jones	England	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Michelle Agyemang	England	WSL	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Korbin Shrader	United States	Première Ligue	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Tierna Davidson	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Crystal Dunn	United States	Première Ligue	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Emily Sonnett	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Bia Zaneratto	Brazil	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Emily Sams	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Casey Krueger	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Kaleigh Kurtz	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Jenna Nighswonger	United States	WSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Croix Bethune	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Lorena	Brazil	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Tara McKeown	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Avery Patterson	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Izzy Rodriguez	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Kayla Sharples	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Claire Hutton	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Olivia Moultrie	United States	NWSL	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes

NWSL teams with HIPs

As of 24 December 2025^[update]

Team	No.
Kansas City Current	7
Gotham FC	6
Washington Spirit	5
Portland Thorns FC	3
Orlando Pride	3
Chicago Stars FC	2
San Diego Wave FC	1
North Carolina Courage	1
Denver Summit FC	1
Houston Dash	1

Criticism

The rule was criticized for focusing on marketability, and potentially media popularity, rather than other factors; for ignoring the NWSLPA's requests for a broader salary cap increase to improve conditions; for the Euro-centrism of many criteria; and for the criteria excluding many players who had already proven themselves as high-impact signings in the NWSL.^[15][28]

The NWSLPA objected to the rule as, under US federal labor law, changes in salary cap (which is outlined in the NWSL's collective bargaining agreement) must be decided by agreement rather than unilateral action: Meghann Burke, as executive director of the NWSLPA, said that "Fair pay is realized through fair, collectively bargained compensation systems, not arbitrary classifications." They also had concerns regarding the speed with which the rule was introduced, and indicated they may take legal action to challenge it.^[11] The NWSLPA position remained to simply increase the salary cap by $1 million instead.^[29]

Sports Illustrated opined that the rule was not sufficient cover to protect the NWSL from potential player departures, with the attraction of high-profile European football and international salaries that the NWSL salary cap is not prepared to match.^[8] CBS Sports felt that, though the first four criteria were relatively arbitrary, they "may have actually saved the NWSL's skin" as they are the only path to inclusion for some well-established international stars. Nevertheless, it thought that the lack of a criteria that could account for injury – the reason for players like Sam Kerr and Catarina Macario not being eligible – was an oversight. It also found it surprising that Lizbeth Ovalle, the most expensive women's transfer, did not meet any criteria.^[12]

See also

• Professionalism in women's association football