“There weren’t a lot of resources,” remarked Emma Hayes, reflecting on the challenges she faced during her time at Chelsea. Yes, the very club where she won 16 trophies; the same club that not only excels in its men’s program but also knows how to dominate the women’s game, breaking transfer records with million-dollar deals, if you will. But as surprising as it may seem, challenges have persisted overall in the WSL in one way or another. No wonder Angel City forward Katie Zelem claims the NWSL is better than European leagues!
Yes, this comes from the very player who arrived in the United States just last year. Not to mention that the midfielder has also represented the highest ranks of Liverpool, Juventus, and her childhood club, Manchester United, for over a decade. Yet, Zelem confidently gives the National Women’s Soccer League a greater hand over other European leagues.
The assertion was made in the latest episode of the RE—INC podcast, co-hosted by her ACFC teammate Christen Press and USWNT icon Tobin Heath. Given how Katie has spent the majority of her time in England, she was asked to reveal her preference between NWSL and WSL. Without any major thought, Zelem answered, “NWSL…”
“…and the reason I’m going to say that is because all the teams are like standalone teams. They financially can support themselves. I think the salary cap kind of skews the vision on it because it limits to what clubs could spend,” she continued with her explanation.
The 29-year-old cited the example of Chelsea, who have been spending quite highly. For context, a whopping $12.5 million was spent by the Blues in the transfers alone in 2024, never mind offering lucrative contracts. But eventually, their financial backing is handled by the main stakeholders of the team, a.k.a. the men’s department.
Meanwhile, Zelem can be nothing but proud about how all the NWSL teams are standing on their own feet. “Angel City’s valuation is crazy. When you think about it, we’re just one team,” added the English international, again citing her time at Man United. The Glazer family, the owner of the Red Devils, has to allocate their budget not just for the men’s or women’s team but even for all kinds of youth teams.
However, the same isn’t the case with American domestic teams, as they are dedicated to only women’s team and their youth programs. “I actually think sometimes about this; whenever we see all the staff at Angel City, I’m like, ‘You’re just all here for us, just those 25 people like cluelessly running around, and you’re all here to do what we’re doing,’” concluded Zelem.
As mentioned before, it is similar to what Hayes said earlier: “We didn’t have full-time players or shared facilities. It was a huge build by a lot of people over a long period of time.” The former Chelsea boss also admitted that it took the Blues almost 8-9 years before establishing the right types of facilities for their women’s program.
While it’s understandable that such things would make Zelem’s decision to depart WSL easily, we are rather interested in knowing what exactly made her come to America.
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