Judge rules in Moultrie’s favor on NWSL age rule

Olivia Moultrie, 15, has been granted a preliminary injunction by a judge that prohibits the National Women’s Soccer League from enforcing its age rule to stop her from signing a professional contract with a club in the league and paves the way for her to play.

The injunction was issued on Thursday after Moultrie filed an anti-trust lawsuit on May 4 which stated that as Major League Soccer allowed players under the age of 18 to sign with clubs, it was against the Sherman Act for the NWSL to enforce an age rule which doesn’t allow players who are younger than 18 to sign professional contracts.

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Moultrie was granted a 14-day temporary restraining order on May 24 while the court examined the merits of a preliminary injuction.

“The evidence presented since this Court granted the TRO does not alter its conclusion that the NWSL and its 10 teams have agreed to impose the NWSL’s age restriction which excludes female competitors from the only available professional soccer opportunity in the United States because they are under 18, regardless of talent, maturity, strength, and ability,” Judge Immergut wrote in delivering her decision on Thursday.

“This Court again finds that the merits clearly favor Plaintiff’s [Moultrie’s] position, that she will be irreparably harmed if it does not grant the preliminary injunction, and that the balance of equities and the public interest strongly favor affording girls in the United States the same opportunities as boys.”

Olivia Moultrie has been training with the Portland Thorns. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The NWSL can choose to appeal the decision.

Both the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association are engaged in talks over a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If an agreement is reached, and if it includes an age restriction, then the CBA could supersede any court order. The NWSL continues to contend that CBA negotiations are where the issue should be resolved.

Moultrie accepted a scholarship offer to North Carolina when she was 11 and signed a deal with Nike two years later. She has been training with the Portland Thorns and has competed with the squad but only in preseason and friendly games.

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