The United States women’s national soccer team took one look Saturday at the artificial turf field that was to serve as the playing surface for Sunday night’s friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and said, ” Enough “.
Finally, enough is enough.
For years the team endured the scrapes, carpet burns and rock-hard surfaces that come with playing on fake grass, but this was a field too far. The seams of Aloha Stadium separated, and there were sharp pellets embedded in the carpet. It wasn’t safe, the players said, as was the turf field they were assigned for practices at the University of Hawaii. (A day earlier, on this field, star midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore her ACL in a non-contact injury.)
So the team decided enough was enough. A year after taking legal action against FIFA over artificial turf and five months after winning the Women’s World Cup on artificial turf, the players have drawn a line in the Hawaiian sand.
They told reporters the land was not enough. They told American football officials they wouldn’t play on it. And American football, I have few choices left, agreed. And that was it. No game.
“We are so used to playing on whatever surface is in front of us,” the team wrote in an open letter released Monday. on The Players’ Tribune. “But we must realize that our protection – our safety – is the No. 1 priority. »
Good for them. With their stock and visibility higher than ever, players realized there has never been a better time to find their voice.
So Guardian Hope Solo shared a photo with his million followers on Twitter and striker Alex Morgan, who suffered from a leg injury for much of last year, publicly grumbles about the “horrible” conditions. Morgan even told Fox Sports that she now encourages her teammates to voice their opinions and ask “if we should play it if the men wouldn’t play it.”
And that is the problem. The men’s national team does not play on artificial turf. Even when he schedules a match in a stadium equipped with it, the field is ready for the match, whatever the cost. The women, however, were scheduled to play eight of the ten matches on their current World Cup winning tour on artificial turf.
This is not a new fight. More than a year ago, a group of high-profile players led by Americans like Abby Wambach sued FIFA and the organizers of the Women’s World Cup for discrimination, saying women should not play in the World Cup. world on artificial turf while the men’s tournament required it. and receives fields of grass.
However, the women never suggested a boycott, and the lack of concrete consequences certainly didn’t help their efforts. FIFA and the tournament organizers simply ran out of time, and eventually everyone agreed to go for it.
But on Sunday, the players held on. And US Soccer not only listened to their concerns, but made it clear it was doing something to address them.
Here’s what you might not know: None of the women’s international matches hosted by US Soccer in 2016 will be played on artificial turf, said Neil Buethe, a spokesman for the federation. That includes a four-team tournament the Americans will host early next year in place of their regular trip to the Algarve Cup in Portugal, as well as all matches before the Olympics, where FIFA has yet to once insisted on natural grass – because the men will play on the same stadiums as the women.
“We raised our hands on the issue in Hawaii and recognized that the situation was not good and made this decision with the team,” Buethe said of Sunday’s cancellation. “In the future, we will listen to them and discuss what we can do before we get to that point. »
The players have therefore won an important battle. Once again, good for them.
Now what?
Rapinoe’s injury – which is not caused by the artificial turf, it should be noted – means she will miss qualifying for next summer’s Rio Olympics and possibly the Games themselves. It’s every player’s fear.
But national team players don’t just play for their country. Almost every one of them supplements their national team salary by playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. This league, which does not have the resources of the national federation, is also trying to move towards natural grass.
Of the nine teams in the NWSL last season, five played on artificial turf. But two of those teams are considering changing sites for next season, said Patrick Donnelly, a league spokesman, and at least one of them will play on grass.
This too is progress, albeit incremental, and the best-known players can nurture it by continuing to push for better conditions wherever they play. It would be nice if they never had to play on grass again, at least at international level. But as with their dispute with FIFA, this fight will be harder to win, and economics plays a big role. Turf may be the preferred surface for football – because of the way the ball rolls on it and because it is more forgiving of players’ bodies – but games on artificial turf will remain a part of every player’s life short term.
Still, women’s soccer has made great strides in the United States, and players realize the time has come for them to play a leading role in improving conditions for everyone. But that’s the long term.
For now, the Americans will look ahead to the final three matches of their 10-city victory tour.
Next up is Thursday night’s game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, which has – what do you know – an artificial turf field.
