Pro softball players form a union seeking recognition by AUSL and a CBA for 2027

Players from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League have formed a union that they are asking the league to voluntarily recognize with hopes of reaching a potential collective bargaining agreement before the start of the 2027 season.

The women’s professional league completed its second season this year, when it expanded to six teams based in home cities for a 25-game regular-season schedule. In the AUSL’s initial 2025 season, there were four teams that played 24 games while touring different cities.

The AUSL Players Association said Tuesday that a supermajority of league players signed up to form the new union.

“This is a landmark next step in the growth of our sport,” the union said. “The AUSL is a top professional league that deserves a fully professional system in which the league and the players’ union come together at the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract. This model has proven successful time and again in other sports, and it will work well here.”

Major League Baseball is among the investors in the league.

The average salary for AUSL players is $35,000 per season, with opportunities to earn up to $80,000, according to the softball league’s website.

There were four returning teams this season, when there were 25 sold-out games and increased broadcast ratings.

The Carolina Blaze, Chicago Bandits, Utah Talons and Texas Volts were joined this year by two expansion teams, the Oklahoma City Spark and Portland Cascade. Four of the ballparks were softball specific while two also hosted minor league baseball games.

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