2024 NWSL Draft | |
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General information | |
Sport | Soccer |
Date(s) | January 12, 2024 |
Time | 8:00 pm (EST) |
Location | Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California |
Network(s) | ION |
Sponsored by | Ally |
Overview | |
56 total selections in 4 rounds | |
League | National Women's Soccer League |
Teams | 14 |
First selection | Ally Sentnor, Utah Royals |
Most selections | Utah Royals and Washington Spirit (6) |
Fewest selections | NJ/NY Gotham FC (1) |
The 2024 NWSL Draft presented by Ally was the twelfth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select from a list of amateur players above the age of 18 playing in the United States who exhausted, lost, or renounced any remaining collegiate eligibility. [1] It was held on January 12, 2024, at the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim, California, and broadcast by ION.
Expansion sides Utah Royals and Bay FC held the first and second overall picks respectively. Ally Sentnor was selected by Utah Royals with the first overall pick. It was the first time Utah Royals had selected first and the third time a player out of North Carolina was selected first. [2]
It was the final NWSL college draft to be held prior to the draft's abolition as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in August 2024, making the NWSL the first major professional sports league in the United States to eliminate the draft system. [3] Beginning with the 2025 rookie class, first-year players could sign with teams as free agents. [4]
+ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Most Valuable Player |
* | Denotes player who has been selected for an NWSL Best XI or NWSL Second XI team |
^ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Rookie of the Year |
# | Denotes player who has never appeared in a competitive NWSL game (regular season, playoff, or Challenge Cup) |
Below is a list of undrafted rookies who appeared in a competitive NWSL game in 2024.
Nat. | Player | Pos. | Original NWSL team | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Madison Ayson | D | Houston Dash | Xavier |
![]() | Ally Cook | F | Chicago Red Stars | UCLA |
![]() | Mallie McKenzie | M | Portland Thorns FC | Georgia |
![]() | Maddie Moreau | D | Bay FC | West Virginia |
![]() | Heather Stainbrook | M | Washington Spirit | Utah Valley |
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
In 2024, a total of 30 colleges had players selected. Of these, five had a player drafted to the NWSL for the first time: Iowa, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's and Utah State. The draft also saw North Carolina equal the record for most selections from a school in a draft with six. [35]
Selections | Schools |
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6 | North Carolina |
5 | BYU, Penn State |
4 | Clemson |
3 | Florida State, Stanford, Texas Tech |
2 | Arkansas, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, UCLA |
Conference | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACC | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 19 |
Big East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Big Ten | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Big 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
Ivy League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Mountain West | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Pac-12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
SEC | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
The American | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
West Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Position | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Defender | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
Midfielder | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
Forward | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
2025 NWSL Draft trades