NWSL federation players
The National Women's Soccer League federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the National Women's Soccer League were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021. American federation players were contracted to the United States Soccer Federation and not to their respective NWSL clubs, whereas Canadian federation players were contracted directly to their respective NWSL clubs. Federation players were sometimes known as allocated players, allocation players, or subsidized players, which occasionally created confusion with players paid using NWSL allocation money, a mechanism introduced before the 2020 NWSL season.
NWSL federation players originally came from the USSF, the Canadian Soccer Association, and the Mexican Football Federation, and they were distributed to the eight founding teams of the NWSL through a player allocation process in January 2013. The FMF ceased allocating players to the NWSL in 2016 before starting its own national professional league, Liga MX Femenil, in 2017.
At the end of the 2021 NWSL season, the USSF announced that the federation player system would be abolished. In 2021, the last season in which the federation player system was in place in the NWSL, each American federation player counted as $33,000 and each Canadian federation player $27,500 against the NWSL team salary cap.
2013
Allocation process
For the initial allocation, each of the eight teams submitted which players they desired, ranking all players in each national team pool, and all the eligible players submitted which four teams they wanted to play for, as well as one team they didn't. The results were then matched by a third party.The initial player allocation was held on January 9, 2013, with each team's allocation announced on January 11. The USSF initially chose to fund 23 player salaries, while CSA and FMF both funded 16 players. Each team, except for the Western New York Flash, received three U.S., two Canadian, and two Mexican internationals; the Flash received two U.S. internationals.
Allocation results
Italic designates players who did not participate in the season- designates player who was traded during the season
Player withdrawals
In the month leading up to opening day, the FMF withdrew funding for several of its players, removing them from the NWSL:
- Marylin Diaz and Luz Saucedo – failed fitness tests
- Rubi Sandoval – reportedly injured
- Alina Garciamendez – had existing contract with FFC Frankfurt
Other post-allocation changes
On July 1, Kansas City traded Renae Cuellar and their third-round pick to Seattle in exchange for Teresa Noyola, right to Nikki Krzysik, and a second-round draft pick. Cuellar had been a league-leading scorer until she had an injury and was unable to return to KC's starting lineup even after fully recovering.
On July 30, Chicago and Boston swapped Adriana Leon and Carmelina Moscato.
Kristie Mewis of FC Kansas City gained allocated status during the 2013 season.
Offseason changes
All three federations re-evaluated their allocations during the 2013–2014 offseason. Teams made trades with their allocated players often before the allocations were announced, though. There were four offseason trades before new allocations were officially announced, all involving the Seattle Reign. On September 10, Carmelina Moscato was sent from Boston to Seattle in exchange for Kaylyn Kyle. On October 25, Washington gave the rights to Alina Garciamendez to Seattle in exchange for Renae Cuellar. Third-round 2014 draft picks were also traded. Third, Seattle sent Amy Rodriguez to FCKC in exchange for Kristie Mewis. Finally, on November 18, Seattle gave away Mewis, Michelle Betos, and their first two 2015 draft picks to the Boston Breakers in exchange for Sydney Leroux.2014
The new allocation list was revealed on January 3. Despite the addition of the expansion side Houston Dash, Canada did not increase their allocation to 18 players; Mexico decreased their allocation from 16 to 8, similarly not accounting for the ninth team, and unlike Canada or the United States did not as a rule keep returning allocated players on their existing teams. The United States increased their allocation from 23 to 26 players. The Houston Dash were only allocated one US player but was allowed to take two more in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft.Allocation results
Highlight designates difference from previous allocation† designates newly allocated player for 2014
Italic designates a player that did not participate in the season
- designates player who was traded during the season OR selected in the expansion draft
Post-allocation changes
After the expansion draft, the trade limitation of allocated-for-same-country-allocated was lifted. Players that were 'unevenly' traded once this restriction was lifted include Amy LePeilbet, Karina LeBlanc, and Verónica Pérez.
When rosters were revealed on April 7, Crystal Dunn and Alyssa Naeher had received allocation status.
Offseason changes
Some allocated players were traded between teams before the new 2015 allocations were announced. The Western New York Flash dealt Carli Lloyd to the Houston Dash in exchange for Whitney Engen. The Boston Breakers also traded Heather O'Reilly to FC Kansas City in exchange for unallocated rookies Morgan Marlborough and Kassey Kallman. Sophie Schmidt announced in January she would not play for Sky Blue FC nor the NWSL in order to focus on the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.2015
Official allocation results for all three federations were announced on January 14, 2015, reducing the total number of allocated players to 42. Allocated players will play the first 3-4 NWSL games of the 2015 season before missing 7-8 games due to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.Allocation results
Highlight designates difference from previous allocation† designates newly allocated player for 2015
Italic designates a player that did not participate in the season
- designates player who was traded during the season
Post-allocation changes
Offseason changes
After the Women's World Cup, many allocated players announced or discussed their plans to retire from national and club football. Shannon Boxx did not finished the season NWSL season with her club; Lauren Holiday and Karina LeBlanc did. Abby Wambach, who passed on the entire 2015 season, officially announced her retirement the day the USWNT visited the White House as part of their 2015 World Cup victory celebrations.During the offseason, several trades took place to move allocated players, with Chicago and WNY swapping Whitney Engen and Adriana Leon for Chicago to further trade with Boston, swapping Engen for Alyssa Naeher. WNY also sent Sydney Leroux to Kansas City after it was announced that Amy Rodriguez would miss the 2016 season to have her second child.
In addition, several allocated players swapped teams as part of the expansion of the Orlando Pride into the league. Portland sent Alex Morgan and Kaylyn Kyle to Orlando as part of a trade that included them receiving Meghan Klingenberg from Orlando after Orlando selected Klingenberg in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft.
2016
Before the 2016 season, the Mexican Football Federation announced that it would no longer allocate players to the NWSL, citing a lack of playing time. None of Mexico's allocated players had played during the 2015 NWSL season.Primary allocation results for United States players were announced on January 13, 2016, with 24 allocated players. Two days later, during the 2016 NWSL College Draft, NWSL also announced a new allocation process. Canada's allocation list was released with 11 players on February 8, 2016, all of whom were allocated under the old process.
Primary allocation results
Highlight designates difference from previous allocation† designates newly allocated player for 2016
Italic designates a player that did not participate in the season
- designates player who was traded during the season
Unattached allocation order and results
Full details for the new process, officially termed Player Distribution, were revealed in late March a day before nine previously allocated players were to have their rights dispersed to other teams. This new process, while first implemented for the 2016 Dispersal Draft, was rumored to have been finalized in time for Mallory Pugh to potential turn professional for the Portland Thorns.In an effort to create a "equitable mechanism" of distributing players, federations can declare player currently unattached to NWSL clubs to be allocation-eligible, at which point the NWSL have the opportunity to roster said player on a rolling basis. Players that have lost their allocation and are not picked up by their previous team are also eligible for distribution. The distribution ranking order is determined by the previous season's finishing order with expansion teams being granted the final spots in the order. This order can only be changed by trades or when a team decides to accept a new player.
For the 2016 season, the new distribution process proceeded as follows:
| Final Ranking | Used Ranking | Previous Ranking | Original Ranking | Club | Date allocation used | Player | Previous club | Ref |
| – | 1 | – | 1 | Boston Breakers | January 15, 2016 | trade | ||
| 1 | – | 4 | - | Portland Thorns | ||||
| 2 | – | – | 2 | Sky Blue FC | ||||
| 3 | – | – | 3 | Western New York Flash | ||||
| – | 4 | – | 4 | Portland Thorns | January 15, 2016 | trade | ||
| 4 | - | 1 | - | Boston Breakers | ||||
| 5 | - | – | 5 | Houston Dash | ||||
| 6 | - | – | 6 | Washington Spirit | ||||
| 7 | - | – | 7 | Chicago Red Stars | ||||
| – | 8 | – | 8 | Seattle Reign | March 31, 2016 | Arianna Romero | Washington Spirit ÍBV | |
| 8 | - | – | 9 | FC Kansas City | ||||
| 9 | - | – | 10 | Orlando Pride | ||||
| – | 10 | 8 | - | Seattle Reign | March 31, 2016 | Verónica Pérez | Washington Spirit Canberra United KIF Örebro DFF | |
| 10 | – | 10 | - | Seattle Reign |