(Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)The U.S. women’s soccer players’ union and the sport’s governing body have agreed to a five-year collective bargaining agreement, improving standards for the national team and pro league and ensuring labor harmony through the next World Cup and Olympics. The deal will run through Dec. 31, 2021, covering the 2019 World Cup in France and 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. It will continue compensating national team players allocated to National Women’s Soccer League teams and require improvements to NWSL standards. “We believe this is another important step to continue our long-standing efforts to drive the growth of women’s soccer in the United States,” USSF President Sunil Gulati said. “This agreement helps to ensure the strength of the women’s national team, provide stability and growth potential for the National Women’s Soccer League, and over time strengthen the elite player development process at the grass-roots level.

Source: Washington Post April 05, 2017 14:05 UTC