Women's Soccer Faces Serious Threats, So Why the Panic About Transgender Players?
On the end of October, Angel City FC player Elizabeth Eddy made her initial online post in nearly two years. Within her message, she responded to news that the NWSL had discreetly abandoned its inclusion policy for trans and intersex players, leaving the league's future stance unclear.
The next day, her writing was republished completely by a different publication, giving it broader attention.
“I worry that without clarity about who the league is for, it will sacrifice its identity and its momentum,” Eddy wrote.
Her piece broadly advocated for a ban on trans athletes from the league to protect “the integrity of female athletics.”
Examining the Real Risk
It remains uncertain how Eddy believes the league's credibility has been damaged—either under its previous guidelines that allowed transgender players or its current lack of one. The organization, now in its thirteenth year, has developed a clear brand. It's extremely contested, commercially and culturally powerful, and an essential part of the worldwide female football landscape.
The league's momentum seems largely fine—viewership have increased every season, and growth to sixteen clubs is scheduled for 2026.
Analyzing the Data
Eddy cites the Football Association's new prohibition on transgender athletes as a success story. Yet, that restriction is believed to affect only 20 or so grassroots players out of millions soccer players. The effect in the United States would likely be equally negligible.
In 2021, when the league's trans inclusion policy was implemented, there were a couple trans players: one player and Kumi Yokoyama. Both have since left, and no openly transgender athletes currently play in the NWSL. On the 2025 season's first matchdays, the NWSL welcomed its thousandth player. That's just two openly transgender individuals out of more than a thousand in the NWSL's existence.
Unfounded Concerns and Actual Damage
The article is framed as if there is a pipeline of trans players set to take over the league at a moment's notice. This is not the case. There are currently no out trans players competing at a elite level in the United States. National laws explicitly bans transgender athletes from participating in NCAA college soccer. Additionally, multiple scientifically reviewed research have shown that transgender players have no biological advantages over cis athletes.
Without of out trans people, transphobic attacks have persisted along racial lines. When Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda was awarded a top honor, she faced a wave of online abuse. The league was painfully slow in defending their key athlete. Likewise, Kansas City Current's Temwa Chawinga and her sister faced comparable abuse.
“The piece does not represent for this team in our dressing room,” Angel City FC captain Sarah Gorden informed the media. “We disagree with the things written for a multitude of reasons, but mostly the implications come across as transphobic and racist as well.”
Additional Urgent Problems Facing the League
Even if one were to ignore all that and think that including transgender athletes constitutes a real problem for the league, it's hard to see how it would outrank any number of different challenges that have truly blunted the growth and compromised its reputation.
- Employment standards for professionals remain a problem. Six former San Diego Wave employees are suing the team and the NWSL, alleging racial and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and failure to prevent discrimination.
- Athlete welfare is a further area of concern. In May, a player Savy King fell on the field, requiring urgent care. The match resumed, even though players were clearly distraught. The NWSLPA called on the NWSL to revisit their medical protocols.
- Extreme weather guidelines have also been challenged. During a nationally televised match, the league head reportedly warned to fine a team over a disagreement in hot weather policies.
- Financial competition from European leagues like the Women's Super League is increasing, luring some of the NWSL's best players away from the league and country where they built their professional lives.
Trans athletes did not factor into a single one of these challenges. And it's improbable they will, irrespective of whether Eddy's suggestions are implemented.
