NWSL roster files

NWSL roster files for Photo Mechanic and GalleryID Desktop

The league keeps adding clubs, squads move between international windows, and the roster you shot in spring is not the one on the field in autumn. SnapCaption pulls the current squad from the official league source in about a minute, and the file loads into Photo Mechanic and GalleryID Desktop.

Free. No account required to build and download a file.

What makes NWSL rosters painful by hand

Every sport breaks a roster file in its own way. These are the ones that bite in NWSL.

Expansion keeps changing the league

New clubs arrive with squads you have never captioned. Pulling from the league source means a new club is available as soon as the league lists it.

International windows empty the bench

Call-ups pull players out and push replacements in mid-season. Build on match day and the squad reflects who is actually available.

One roster across a crew

When several photographers cover the same match, everybody typing names by hand produces several versions of the same caption. One shared file removes that.

One file, both applications

The export is not locked to one program. The same NWSL roster file loads into Photo Mechanic and into GalleryID Desktop, with identical shortcodes either way.

Photo Mechanic

Edit > Settings > Set Code Replacements > Load, then pick the file. The shortcodes are live in the caption fields immediately.

Code Replacement is the name Camera Bits, Inc. gives the feature in Photo Mechanic's own documentation, which is why this file is often called a code replacement roster file.

GalleryID Desktop

Attach the same file as a roster and the identical shortcodes expand while you caption. Nothing about the export changes.

GalleryID Desktop goes further than shortcodes — it identifies athletes by facial recognition and writes the names into the photo, so there is no code to type at all. See GalleryID Desktop

What a shortcode looks like

You type
h7
The caption field shows
Marcus Cole, #7, Midfielder, Riverdale Wolves

The h is the prefix you assigned the home club, 7 the shirt number. Both squads go in a single file with separate prefixes.

What goes in your NWSL file

You choose the columns. The export is a tab-separated file, so anything that reads a tab-delimited roster can use it.

  • Full name, first name and last name as separate columns if you want them
  • Shirt number written as 7, #7 or (7)
  • Position as an abbreviation, lowercase, or title case
  • Club name
  • Long-form caption strings, for example: Marcus Cole #7 of the Riverdale Wolves

NWSL teams you can build a roster file for

16 teams, kept current from in-season sources. Pick any two and build one file for the whole game.

  • Angel City FC
  • Bay FC
  • Boston Legacy FC
  • Chicago Stars FC
  • Denver Summit FC
  • Gotham FC
  • Houston Dash
  • Kansas City Current
  • North Carolina Courage
  • Orlando Pride
  • Portland Thorns FC
  • Racing Louisville FC
  • San Diego Wave FC
  • Seattle Reign
  • Utah Royals FC
  • Washington Spirit

NWSL roster file questions

How do I load an NWSL roster file into Photo Mechanic?

In Photo Mechanic, go to Edit > Settings > Set Code Replacements, click Load, and select the file. GalleryID Desktop attaches the same file as a roster and expands the identical shortcodes.

Where do the rosters come from?

NWSL squads are sourced from the official league API, so the file reflects what the league itself is publishing.

Can a crew share one file?

Yes, and it is worth doing. One roster file across several photographers means the captions match no matter who files them.

How are accented names handled?

Names are folded to US-ASCII on export so they pass cleanly through Photo Mechanic and out to the wires.

Build your NWSL roster file

Pick your teams, set your codes, download the file. Free, and no account required.

Open the roster builder