The Under-18 Entry Mechanism sets the rules for how

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

players below the age of 18 may sign professional contracts in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

Background

The NWSL had a minimum age requirement of 18 until 2021, when 15-year-old Olivia Moultrie filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league. She reached a settlement that allowed her to sign with

Portland Thorns FC Portland Thorns FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL ...

after going through a league discovery process that involved her rights being acquired by

OL Reign Seattle Reign FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since J ...

and traded to the Thorns. The following year, the NWSL allowed 17-year-old

Jaedyn Shaw Jaedyn Reese Shaw, OLY (born November 20, 2004) is an American professional association football, soccer player who plays as a forward (association football), forward or attacking midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's ...

to sign with

San Diego Wave FC San Diego Wave Fútbol Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The team plays its home games at Snapdragon Stadium. Founded on June 8, 2021, the Wav ...

through discovery, with five other teams submitting bids for her rights including the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

which she had trained with for months. Other sports leagues in the United States continue to have minimum requirements, such as 18 in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

allows younger players to sign contracts which occurs mostly for development purposes. The NWSL introduced the Under-18 Entry Mechanism on November 14, 2022, establishing a formal process for signing players under the age of 18. , the NWSL allows teams to have up to four under-18 players between their private entry list and roster. Players must be signed within a month of being named to the entry list, and their contracts must last through the season in which they turn 18. Until coming of age, under-18 players may not be cut from their team's roster nor traded (unless the player and her parent or guardian consents) nor selected in an

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansi ...

draft. In addition to contractual protections, under-18 players are required to live with a parent or guardian and use separate showers and locker rooms.

Chloe Ricketts Chloe Cathleen Ricketts (born May 23, 2007) is an American professional soccer player for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She joined the Spirit at the age of 15 in 2023, becoming the first player to sign under ...

was the first player to sign through the Under-18 Entry Mechanism, joining the

on March 3, 2023, at the age of 15.

List of signings

References

External links

U18 Entry Mechanism
{{DEFAULTSORT:NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism National Women's Soccer League