NWSL was founded in 2012 as a succesor to two other attempts to create a professional league for US women. There are currently 14 teams. 

NWSL continues to grow as more cities add teams, player movement becomes more flexible, and the salary cap increases. This past year, Denver, Colorado was awarded the 16th franchise spot in the NWSL.  This upcoming year also marks the first full season with free agency, granting players full control over where they play out of contract. Moreover, the current base salary cap per team is around $3.3 million. When NWSL was founded, the salary cap was around $200,000.