This article features a listing of all professional sports teams based in the United States and Canada, in addition to teams from other countries that compete in professional leagues based in the two countries.
Conference | Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Mountain | Alpine Cowboys | Alpine, Texas | Kokernot Field |
Austin Weirdos | Austin, Texas | Parque Zaragoza | |
Blackwell FlyCatchers | Blackwell, Oklahoma | Morgan Field | |
Garden City Wind | Garden City, Kansas | Clint Lightner Field | |
North Platte 80's | North Platte, Nebraska | Bill Wood Field | |
Pecos Bills | Pecos, Texas | Cyclone Ballpark | |
Roswell Invaders | Roswell, New Mexico | Joe Bauman Stadium | |
Santa Fe Fuego | Santa Fe, New Mexico | Fort Marcy Ballfield | |
Trinidad Triggers | Trinidad, Colorado | Central Park | |
Tucson Saguaros | Tucson, Arizona | Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium | |
Pacific | Bakersfield Train Robbers | Bakersfield, California | Sam Lynn Ballpark |
Dublin Leprachauns | Dublin, California | Fallon Sports Park | |
Martinez Sturgeon | Martinez, California | Waterfront Park | |
Marysville Drakes | Marysville, California | Bryant Field | |
San Rafael Pacifics | San Rafael, California | Albert Park | |
Vallejo Seaweed | Vallejo, California | Wilson Park |
Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|
New Hampshire Wild | Concord, New Hampshire | Memorial Field |
Plattsburgh Thunderbirds | Plattsburgh, New York | Chip Cummings Field |
Saranac Lake Surge | Saranac Lake, New York | Saranac Lake Central Field |
Tupper Lake Riverpigs | Tupper Lake, New York | Municipal Park |
Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|
Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers | Utica, Michigan | Jimmy John's Field |
Eastside Diamond Hoppers | ||
Utica Unicorns | ||
Westside Woolly Mammoths |
Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|
Jonquière Marquis | Saguenay, Quebec | Palais des Sports de Saguenay |
Laval Pétroliers | Laval, Quebec | Colisée de Laval |
Rivière-du-Loup 3L | Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec | Centre Premier Tech |
Saint-Georges Cool FM 103.5 | Saint-Georges, Quebec | Centre Sportif Lacroix-Dutil |
Sorel-Tracy Éperviers | Sorel-Tracy, Quebec | Colisée Cardin |
Thetford Assurancia | Thetford Mines, Quebec | Centre Mario Gosselin |
This article needs to be updated.(January 2024) |
Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|
Arizona Ridge Riders | Glendale, Arizona | Desert Diamond Arena |
Austin Gamblers | Austin, Texas | Moody Center |
Carolina Cowboys | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum |
Florida Freedom | Sunrise, Florida | Amerant Bank Arena |
Kansas City Outlaws | Kansas City, Missouri | T-Mobile Center |
Missouri Thunder | Springfield, Missouri | Great Southern Bank Arena |
Nashville Stampede | Nashville, Tennessee | Bridgestone Arena |
Texas Rattlers | Fort Worth, Texas | Cowtown Coliseum |
Dickies Arena |
Major League Rugby is a men's rugby union league with twelve teams: six in the south, four in the west each, and one in the midwest and northeast each. As of its 2020 season, the average salary for a player was $10,000–$25,000. [1]
Major League Soccer is in the first tier of the United States men's soccer league system. It currently consists 29 teams: nine in the Southern United States, seven in the Western United States, six in the midwestern United States, four in the northeastern United States, two in Eastern Canada, and one in Western Canada. As of its 2024 season, the minimum salary is $89,716 for a regular player and $150,000 for a player subject to target allocation money. [2] A maximum salary of $1,683,750 is enforced, though up to three "designated players" on each team can be paid salaries in excess of the maximum. [3] [4]
The Canadian Premier League is the sole professional league atop the men's Canadian soccer league system. It currently consists of eight teams: four in Eastern and Western Canada each. As of its 2023 season, the minimum salary for a player was CA$30,000, and the maximum was ~CA$75,000. [5] [6]
The National Women's Soccer League is in the first tier of the United States women's soccer league system. It currently consists fourteen teams: six in the west, five in the south, two in the midwest, and one in the northeast. As of its 2023 season, the minimum salary for a player was $36,400, [7] [8] while the maximum salary was $200,000, though allocation money can be used to pay player salaries in excess of the maximum. [8] [9]
The USL Super League is in the first tier of the United States women's soccer league system. It currently consists eight teams: six in the south and one in the west and northeast each. As of its 2024–25 season, salaries for players are to be "competitive" with those of the National Women's Soccer League, and no maximum salary will be enforced. [10] [11]
The USL Championship is in the second tier of the United States men's soccer league system. It currently consists 24 teams: eleven in the south, eight in the west, three in the northeast, and two in the midwest. As of its 2024 season, the minimum salary for players is $2,900 per month, though teams can pay up to six players a "flex contract" with a lower minimum salary of $2,400 per month. [12] [13] The minimum length of a player's contract with a USL Championship team is ten months. [12] [13]
MLS Next Pro is in the third tier of the United States men's soccer league system. It currently consists 29 teams: ten in the Southern United States, seven in the Western United States, six in the Midwestern United States, four in the Northeastern United States, and one each in Eastern and Western Canada. As of its 2024 season, the minimum salary for a player is $71,401. [2]
USL League One is in the third tier of the United States men's soccer league system. It currently consists twelve teams: seven in the south, three in the west, and two in the midwest. As of its 2024 season, the minimum salary for a player is $2,100 per month, with no flex contracts à la the USL Championship being offered. [14] [15]
The Major Arena Soccer League is a men's indoor soccer league with thirteen teams: three in the Midwestern, Southern, and Western United States each, and two in Mexico and the Northeastern United States each. As of its 2021–22 season, the average salary of a player was $1,500–$3,500 per month. [16]
Team | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|
Smash It Sports Vipers | Oxford, Alabama | Choccolocco Park |
Texas Smoke | Austin, Texas | Tornado Softball Field |
USSSA Pride | Viera, Florida | USSSA Space Coast Complex |
Conference | Team | Location |
---|---|---|
Midwest | Columbus Pride | Columbus, Ohio |
Indy Red | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
Milwaukee Monarchs | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
Minnesota Strike | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
South | Atlanta Soul | Atlanta, Georgia |
Austin Torch | Austin, Texas | |
Nashville Nightshade | Nashville, Tennessee | |
Raleigh Radiance | Raleigh, North Carolina | |
East | New York Gridlock | New York City, New York |
Philadelphia Surge | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
Portland Rising | Portland, Maine | |
Washington DC Shadow | Washington, D.C. |
Conference | Team | Location |
---|---|---|
Northwest | Colorado Alpenglow | Denver, Colorado |
Seattle Tempest | Seattle, Washington | |
Utah Wild | Salt Lake City, Utah | |
Southwest | Arizona Sidewinders | Phoenix, Arizona |
Bay Area Falcons | San Francisco, California | |
San Diego Super Bloom | San Diego, California |
The Pro Volleyball Federation is a women's indoor volleyball league with seven teams: three in the midwest and two in the south and west each. As of its 2024 season, the minimum salary for a player is $60,000, with bonuses for individual and team performance, playoff appearances, and awards and honours. [17] [18] Two designated players on each team are paid an additional $40,000 to serve as the team's ambassadors. [17] An undisclosed amount of revenue sharing is also offered to players by their respective teams. [18]
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer, National Women's Soccer League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic, and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup.
In professional sports, a salary cap is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Several sports leagues have implemented salary caps, using them to keep overall costs down, and also to maintain a competitive balance by restricting richer clubs from entrenching dominance by signing many more top players than their rivals. Salary caps can be a major issue in negotiations between league management and players' unions because they limit players' and teams' ability to negotiate higher salaries even if a team is operating at significant profits, and have been the focal point of several strikes by players and lockouts by owners and administrators.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) governs most levels of soccer in the United States, including the national teams, professional leagues, and amateur leagues, being the highest soccer authority in the country. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most colleges; secondary schools are governed by state-level associations, with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) setting the rules at that level. The match regulations are generally the same between the three governing bodies although there are many subtle differences.
The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation typical in soccer elsewhere. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by the USSF not having an official designated level or division.
The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association teams are allowed to pay their players. Like the other major professional sports leagues in North America, the NBA has a salary cap to control costs and benefit parity, defined by the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This limit is subject to a complex system of rules and exceptions and is calculated as a percentage of the league's revenue from the previous season. Under the CBA ratified in July 2017, the cap will continue to vary in future seasons based on league revenues. For the 2022–23 season, the cap is set at $123.655 million.
In Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the two top-tier professional soccer leagues in the United States, allocation money represents an amount of money that teams can use to sign players or allocate to their salaries in order to remain compliant with the leagues' salary caps.
The Canadian soccer league system, also called the Canadian soccer pyramid, is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in Canada. The governing body of soccer in the country is the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), which oversees the system and domestic cups but does not operate any of its component leagues. In addition, some Canadian teams compete in leagues that are based in the United States.
Meghann Kay Burke is an attorney and executive director of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA), the trade union for players in the NWSL, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Burke led the NWSLPA to its first collective bargaining agreement in 2022.
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of where the athlete is assigned to play.
The prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada serve as the pinnacle of women's athletic competition in North America. The United States is home to the vast majority of professional women's leagues. In North America, the top women's leagues feature both team sports and individual athletes. While some leagues have paid professional women athletes, others do not and function at a semi-professional level.
Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis. The U.S. is now regarded as one of the top countries in the world for women's soccer, and FIFA ranked its national team #1 in the world after its back-to-back Women's World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. Headquartered in New York City, it is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federation.
The 2013 National Women's Soccer League season was the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), this was the seventh overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league was operated by the United States Soccer Federation and received major financial backing from that body. Further financial backing was provided by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Federation. All three national federations paid the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) federation players were players whose salaries for playing in the NWSL were paid for by their respective national federations from 2013 to 2021. American federation players were contracted to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) 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.
The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.
Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Janine Elizabeth Beckie is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for National Women's Soccer League club Portland Thorns FC and the Canada national team. She previously played for Sky Blue FC, the Houston Dash, and Manchester City. She is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.
Professional sports leagues in the United States includes major professional sports leagues, other highest-level professional leagues, and minor leagues.
The National Women's Soccer League Players Association is the officially recognized union of players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
...salaries range anywhere from $10,000 to about $25,000.
A player cannot have his Salary Budget Charge bought down below $150,000 using Targeted Allocation Money. [...] Senior Minimum Salary - $89,716; Reserve Minimum Salary - $71,401
A Designated Player is one whose salary, plus the transfer fee to acquire, when amortized over the length of the contract exceeds $1,683,750 per year.
Teams are also allowed a maximum of three designated players, whose unlimited salaries count only partly against the cap
The minimum salary in 2023 will be $30,000.
No individual-player maximum was announced but it is believed to remain in the $75,000 range.
...the NWSL's 2022 minimum salary was $35,000, rising to $36,400 this year.
Players in the NWSL earn a league minimum of $36,400 [...] The largest cap charge is $200,000, though there are several players who earn more than that in the league.
The Spirit were able to pay Rodman above the league's maximum salary by using allocation money, which is a spending allowance beyond salary limits and team budget caps.
...the Super League intends to be competitive on player salaries (the current minimum salary in the NWSL is $36,400).
The Super League will operate without a salary cap, with the aim to compete on the global market.
Additionally, clubs will have six "flex contracts" at lower compensation rates for players [...] 2024; Standard $2,900; Flex contract $2,400 [...] The new CBA would also institute a mandatory 10-month minimum length for player contracts.
Players will be guaranteed $2,700 per month starting in 2022, with raises in future years. Contracts generally will have a minimum length of 10 months, with each team allowed to sign as many as six players to flex contracts with different standards.
Each Player's Base Compensation shall be equal to or greater than the Base Compensation amounts set forth below [...] Year 2024; Minimum Base Compensation $2,100
Players will now receive at least $2,000 per month as the minimum compensation level ahead of next year. That number increases over the life of the CBA and by the final year, 2027, will reach $2,500 per month. There are no flex contracts that allow for lower monetary figures.
Monthly salaries in the MASL generally range between $1,500 to $3,500 a month.
PVF players [...] are to be paid $60,000 with bonuses for individual and team performance. Two players on each roster will live year-round in their market and be paid an additional $40,000 as ambassadors for their team.
PVF team rosters [...] will be paid a salary of at least $60,000 this season with opportunities to earn bonus money from awards, all-league honors, and postseason play. [...] Spicher noted that the league is also sharing its revenue with the players, through an undisclosed split, from day one.