Female Football Confronts Serious Threats, So Why the Alarm About Transgender Players?
On late October, ACFC player Elizabeth Eddy made her first online post in almost two years. Within her message, she responded to reports that the NWSL had discreetly dropped its policy of inclusion for transgender and intersex players, making the league's position unclear.
The following day, her opinion piece was shared in full by another media outlet, providing broader exposure.
“I worry that lacking clear guidelines about who the league is for, it will sacrifice its character and its momentum,” Eddy wrote.
Her piece generally argued for a prohibition on trans athletes from the NWSL to protect “the fairness of female athletics.”
Questioning the Real Threat
It's unclear how Eddy believes the league's credibility has been damaged—either under its former policy that permitted trans athletes or its present lack of one. The league, now in its 13th season, has developed a clear brand. It's highly competitive, commercially and culturally powerful, and an integral part of the global female football landscape.
Its growth trajectory appears mostly fine—viewership have increased each year, and expansion to sixteen clubs is scheduled for the coming years.
Analyzing the Evidence
Eddy cites the Football Association's new prohibition on trans players as a positive example. However, that restriction is believed to affect only 20 or so amateur participants out of millions soccer players. The impact in the United States would likely be similarly negligible.
In 2021, when the NWSL's trans inclusion policy was implemented, there were a couple trans players: Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama. Both have since left, and no openly transgender athletes presently compete in the NWSL. On the 2025 season's first matchdays, the NWSL welcomed its 1,000th player. That's just two openly transgender individuals out of over 1,000 in the NWSL's existence.
Unfounded Concerns and Real Harm
The article is written as if there is a stream of trans players ready to take over the NWSL imminently. There is no such thing. At present, there are no openly transgender players competing at a elite level in the US. National laws expressly bans trans players from participating in university sports. Moreover, numerous scientifically reviewed research have shown that trans athletes have no inherent physical edge over cisgender competitors.
Without of openly transgender individuals, discriminatory behavior have persisted along racial lines. When Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda was awarded player of the year, she faced a surge of digital harassment. The NWSL was painfully slow in supporting their key athlete. Likewise, another team's Temwa Chawinga and her sister have experienced comparable mistreatment.
“The piece does not speak for our club in our dressing room,” Angel City FC captain Sarah Gorden told reporters. “We disagree with the things written for a multitude of causes, but mostly the undertones come across as discriminatory against trans people and prejudiced as well.”
Additional Pressing Problems Facing the League
Even if one were to ignore these points and believe that trans inclusion represents a real problem for the league, it's difficult to see how it would surpass multiple of different challenges that have truly blunted the league's momentum and compromised its integrity.
- Employment standards for staff continue to be a concern. Several ex- San Diego Wave employees are suing the team and the NWSL, alleging bias based on race and ability, unwanted advances, and negligence to stop discrimination.
- Player care is a further issue. In spring, Angel City defender Savy King collapsed on the field, requiring emergency medical treatment. On-field play continued, even though teammates were visibly distraught. The NWSLPA called on the league to revisit their medical protocols.
- Extreme weather protocols have additionally been questioned. During a nationally televised match, the NWSL commissioner reportedly warned to fine a club over a dispute in hot weather policies.
- Financial competition from leagues abroad like the WSL is growing, attracting some of the NWSL's best players away from the NWSL and country where they built their professional lives.
Transgender players did not factor into any one of these issues. And it's improbable they will, regardless of whether Eddy's suggestions are implemented.