Female Soccer Faces Significant Threats, Yet Why the Alarm About Trans Players?

During the end of October, ACFC player Elizabeth Eddy made her initial online post in almost two years. Within her message, she responded to news that the NWSL had quietly dropped its inclusion policy for transgender and intersex players, making the organization's future stance undecided.

The next day, her writing was republished in full by another publication, providing wider exposure.

“I worry that without clarity about the league's intended participants, it will lose its identity and its momentum,” Eddy wrote.

The article generally argued for a ban on transgender players from the league to preserve “the fairness of female athletics.”

Questioning the Real Threat

It's unclear how Eddy thinks the NWSL's integrity has been damaged—whether 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 identity. It's extremely contested, commercially and culturally powerful, and an essential part of the global female football landscape.

Its growth trajectory appears mostly fine—viewership have increased each year, and growth to 16 teams is scheduled for the coming years.

Analyzing the Data

Eddy references the English FA's recent ban on trans players as a success story. However, that restriction is thought to impact only approximately twenty amateur participants out of 5.5 million soccer players. The effect in the United States would likely be equally minimal.

In 2021, when the NWSL's policy of inclusion was implemented, there were a couple transgender athletes: Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama. Both have since left, and no openly transgender athletes presently compete in the NWSL. On the current season's opening weekend, the league welcomed its 1,000th participant. That's only two openly transgender individuals out of over 1,000 in the NWSL's existence.

Unfounded Concerns and Real Damage

Eddy's piece is framed as if there is a pipeline of trans players set to dominate the league at a moment's notice. There is no such thing. There are currently no openly transgender players competing at a professional level in the United States. Federal legislation explicitly prohibits transgender athletes from competing in university sports. Additionally, numerous scientifically reviewed studies have shown that trans athletes have no biological advantages over cisgender competitors.

Without of openly transgender individuals, transphobic attacks have continued along racial lines. When a club's Barbra Banda was awarded a top honor, she faced a wave of online abuse. The NWSL was slow to respond in supporting their key athlete. Likewise, another team's Temwa Chawinga and her sister have experienced similar mistreatment.

“The piece does not speak for this team in our dressing room,” Angel City FC captain Sarah Gorden told reporters. “We disagree with the things written for a multitude of causes, but primarily the implications come across as transphobic and racist as well.”

Other Urgent Issues Confronting the League

Regardless if one were to ignore all that and believe that trans inclusion represents a real problem for the league, it's hard to see how it would outrank any number of different challenges that have actually blunted the growth and affected its integrity.

• Working conditions for staff remain a concern. Several ex- club employees are taking legal action against the club and the NWSL, alleging racial and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and failure to prevent discrimination.
• Athlete welfare is another issue. In spring, a player Savy King fell on the pitch, requiring urgent care. On-field play resumed, despite players were visibly distraught. The NWSLPA called on the NWSL to review their medical protocols.
• Extreme weather protocols have also been challenged. During a nationally televised match, the league head allegedly warned to fine a club over a disagreement in hot weather policies.
• Financial competition from leagues abroad like the WSL is increasing, luring some of the NWSL's best players away from the league and nation where they made their careers.

Trans athletes were not involved into any one of these challenges. And it's unlikely they will, irrespective of whether the proposed changes are implemented.