NWSL to implement VAR in 2023 season

The NWSL will implement video assistant referee (VAR) technology in 2023, becoming the first women’s domestic professional league to do so.

The league has opted to utilize Hawk-Eye, the same VAR provider used by Major League Soccer. Referees will receive wireless radios to allow them to communicate with the Hawk-Eye video review room in Atlanta. Camera angles in the Hawk-Eye center will also be shown to fans, both in the stands and watching on television.

NWSL executive producer Brian Gordon credited commissioner Jessica Berman for the push to implement VAR in the upcoming 2023 season.

“When she came in, this was a very big focus because we want to make sure that we’re giving the officials all the tools they have to be able to make the best decisions when there are close calls,” Gordon told Sports Business Journal.

“VAR is a tool. It’s not the end all be all for officiating. It’s going to help make our officials better.”

Former USWNT player and currently Gotham FC minority owner Carli Lloyd also supported the addition of VAR, adding it can “change the game.”

“I think VAR has changed the game,” she told Sports Business Journal. “It’s helped in some way with just keeping players in check. You’ve got cameras that are watching every second at every different angle, so it’s really hard to get away with things.”

The implementation of VAR will require extensive preparation by the league. The technology, and six additional cameras must be installed in each NWSL stadium, before training the officials. 

The Professional Referee Organization, which supplies the league with officials, will host a VAR training session at IMG Academy ahead of the 2023 campaign.