The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) plans to launch a pair of player combines in December as a scouting mechanism for teams in lieu of a draft.
An adult showcase will feature college-aged players (18-23 years old) while the youth combine will be for 13- to-17-year-olds. This year was the first in the NWSL's 12-year history without a player draft following the adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement in 2024.
"As the women's soccer landscape continues to rapidly evolve, a combine is a strategic platform that will allow us to support NWSL clubs in early talent evaluation and provide players with exposure to a professional environment," Karla Thompson, the NWSL's director of youth development, said in a statement.
"This initiative is about widening the lens of who gets seen and ensuring that talent, wherever it resides, has a continued pathway to our league."
The league announced the news on Wednesday as its Board of Governors met in New York City for its semi-annual gathering.
A league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN that the events will be invite-only, and that players will maintain college eligibility if they don't sign with an agent or sign a professional contract.
NWSL teams historically utilized a January player draft to acquire top college players, like most American sports leagues.
However, last year's new CBA brought sweeping changes to player rights, including full free agency for the first time. The NWSL also became the first U.S. league to remove drafts of all kinds. This combination left NWSL teams to freely negotiate with college and youth players like their global counterparts.
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The league has also slowly changed its age-limit rules, including the recent implementation of signing mechanisms for players under the age of 18, which has led to teenage signings as young as 13 years old.
According to the NWSL, the adult combine is meant for aspiring professional players "whose careers may have taken non-linear paths, to demonstrate their readiness for the pro level."
The youth combine is meant to identify potential professional players at an early age. The NWSL does not have a formal academy system, although some teams operate their own academies.
According to the NWSL, the three-day combines will include performance testing, competitive matches, "education programming" for the youth and "direct interaction with NWSL clubs" for the adult combine.