Filed under: MLS, Sports Business and Media
After several days of marathon negotiations, Major League Soccer and its players union reached an agreement today on a five-year labor contract, averting a players strike that threatened to postpone the start of the league’s 15th season and hinder the sport’s growth in the United States.
The new deal will provide players with higher salaries and expanded freedom to move within teams in MLS — though not complete free agency, which the players had been seeking. “It was not fun, it was tiring, but it was productive,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber (pictured) on a conference call this morning. “We’ve worked very hard together with our players to find an agreement that satisfies their needs yet works within a framework for owners that makes sense.”
Unlike the four major sports leagues or other soccer leagues around the world, MLS operates as a single-entity, not as a collection of autonomous franchises. The league owns and negotiates all players contracts, and has tightly controlled players’ ability to move between MLS teams. Under the old labor deal, players who had competed for one club were unable to sign with another MLS franchise — even after their contracts had expired — unless they were granted permission by the league and their former team. The new deal will allow for more freedom, as players who are out of contract or have been terminated will be placed in a “re-entry draft” where other teams can select them.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Today on the Internet: One of the best Christmas Gifts for Kids this year is Takealong Tunes for Toddlers. Check it out now!
Sun, Mar 21, 2010
World Cup Headlines