As a third-year law student, Meghann Burke was having trouble shaking her desire to play soccer.
So the former St. 不良研究所导航网址 University goalkeeper played a year for Women鈥檚 Professional Soccer, a league that existed from 2009 to 2012.
Not only that, but she organized the WPS players union, marking her first and presumably last dalliance with such an endeavor. It turned out to be a trial run.
Ten years later, Burke received another opportunity with a players union and helped forge a collective bargaining agreement for the National Women鈥檚 Soccer League that is unlike any seen before in U.S. sports.
The St. 不良研究所导航网址 native left her private practice in 2020 to become the executive director of the NWSL players association. This year, the new CBA made headlines for many reasons, most significant being the elimination of a player draft.
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鈥淥nce the NWSL was ready to cross that Rubicon, it was a very obvious conclusion we had to do,鈥 Burke said. 鈥淓liminating the draft is a mind-blowingly huge deal and a paradigm shift in American sports. But the reality is that it鈥檚 been the global standard for almost 30 years.鈥
Ironically, the Mehlville High product was the first SLU female athlete to be selected in a pro draft in 2003 after setting what were then program records for wins, saves, minutes played and shutouts.
After bouncing around to play in various leagues and cities after her graduation, she has settled into a career in which she can improve the circumstances for players in the future.
By abolishing the draft 鈥 the first major professional league in the U.S. to do so 鈥 the NWSL has made all players free agents at the time they leave college. The contract also ended trades without player consent, established guaranteed contracts and instituted revenue sharing.
鈥淚 saw labor unions as human rights, and I鈥檓 drawn to that,鈥 Burke said. 鈥淚 practiced law and civil rights litigation, and some would say they鈥檙e unrelated. I think they very much are related. It was an awesome opportunity to show why.鈥
Burke knew the life of a female soccer player in the U.S. and England from stints with 10 teams. She settled in Ashville, North Carolina, for her law practice after playing for a team in the city.
As a private attorney, Burke said she worked on some 鈥渄ark cases.鈥 She had joked with her wife that the new opportunity would be a 鈥渃ush鈥 job in the sports world.
However, the darkness followed her briefly. The NWSL endured a sexual abuse scandal in 2021 that led to the departure of numerous coaches and the commissioner. When the league emerged from that, the first CBA was announced in January 2022.
When discussions began anew, elimination of the draft was on the table.
鈥(The U.S.) has won four World Cups and is one of the strongest nations on Earth in women鈥檚 soccer,鈥 Burke said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to be the best league in the world, but we鈥檙e losing players who are experiencing the global rules to go to Spain and Germany and Italy. We鈥檝e hamstrung ourselves with the draconian rules that none of the rest of the world plays by.
鈥淲hen we got to the table in 2023 to start negotiations and the other side was billionaire business people, I said, 鈥業n what other business you own would you play by one set of rules while all the competition plays by a different set?鈥欌
Starting with players who leave college after the 2024 season 鈥 and this could include some from SLU 鈥 they will be able to negotiate with any of the NWSL鈥檚 teams for a chance to attend training camp to seek a roster spot.
Burke works out of the same office she had as a private attorney thanks to a good relationship with her former partner.
鈥淚 love it. This is a dream job for me,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 feel I was meant to do this. I had a decade practicing law that got more and more intense. It鈥檚 been a tense three years here for sure also. I wouldn鈥檛 mind if I reached my cruising altitude now and could just enjoy some success.鈥