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On late October, Angel City FC athlete Elizabeth Eddy made her initial online statement in nearly two years. In it, she responded to reports that the National Women's Soccer League had discreetly abandoned its inclusion policy for transgender and intersex athletes, making the league's position undecided.

The following day, her writing was shared in full by a different media outlet, giving it wider attention.

“I'm concerned that without clarity about who the league is for, it will lose its identity and its growth,” Eddy wrote.

The article generally argued for a prohibition on transgender players from the league to protect “the integrity of women's sports.”

Questioning the Actual Threat

It's unclear how Eddy thinks the league's integrity has been harmed—either under its previous guidelines that allowed trans athletes or its present absence of policy. The organization, now in its 13th season, has developed a distinct brand. It's highly competitive, commercially and culturally powerful, and an integral part of the global female football scene.

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

Examining the Evidence

Eddy cites the Football Association's recent ban on transgender athletes as a positive example. However, that restriction is thought to affect only approximately twenty amateur participants out of millions soccer players. The effect in the US would likely be similarly negligible.

In 2021, when the NWSL's trans inclusion policy was implemented, there were two trans players: Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama. They have both departed, and no openly transgender athletes presently compete in the league. On the 2025 season's opening weekend, the NWSL celebrated its 1,000th participant. That's just two out trans players out of more than a thousand in league history.

Baseless Fears and Real Harm

The article is framed as if there is a stream of transgender athletes ready to take over the league at a moment's notice. This is not the case. There are currently no out trans players playing at a professional level in the United States. Federal legislation expressly bans transgender athletes from participating in university sports. Moreover, numerous peer-reviewed research have shown that trans athletes have no biological advantages over cisgender competitors.

Without of openly transgender individuals, discriminatory behavior have persisted along ethnic divisions. When Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda was named player of the year, she experienced a surge of digital harassment. The league was slow to respond in defending their key athlete. Similarly, another team's Temwa Chawinga and her sister have experienced similar mistreatment.

“That article does not represent for our club in this locker room,” Angel City FC captain Sarah Gorden told the media. “We don't agree with the content for a multitude of causes, but primarily the implications come across as transphobic and prejudiced as well.”

Additional Urgent Issues Facing the NWSL

Regardless if one were to overlook all that and believe that trans inclusion constitutes a genuine issue for the league, it's hard to see how it would outrank any number of other issues that have actually hindered the growth and compromised its reputation.

• Working conditions for staff remain a problem. Six former club employees are suing the team and the league, alleging racial and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and failure to prevent discrimination.
• Player care is another issue. In spring, Angel City defender Savy King fell on the pitch, requiring urgent care. The match continued, even though players were visibly distraught. The players' association called on the NWSL to review their medical protocols.
• Extreme weather protocols have also been questioned. During a nationally televised match, the NWSL commissioner allegedly threatened to fine a club over a dispute in extreme heat procedures.
• Economic rivalry from European leagues like the Women's Super League is growing, luring some of the NWSL's best players away from the NWSL and country where they built their professional lives.

Transgender players were not involved into any one of these issues. And it's improbable they will, regardless of whether Eddy's suggestions come to pass.