Washington Spirit signs youngest-ever player Chloe Ricketts, 15, to NWSL contract

The Washington Spirit have signed 15-year-old midfielder Chloe Ricketts, making the current high school sophomore the youngest player signed by the NWSL.

The club announced Friday that Ricketts has signed a three-year contract with an option for 2026.

At 15 years, 283 days, Ricketts surpasses Portland Thorns FC’s Olivia Moultrie, who signed her first professional contract at 15 years, 286 days on June 30, 2021.

Ricketts will join the NWSL through the league’s new Under-18 Entry Mechanism, which will see her take a full roster spot, while ensuring she resides with a parent or legal guardian until she turns 18. of age, cannot be redeemed or renounced before. She is 18 years old without her and her parent’s/her legal guardian’s consent and cannot be selected in expansion drafts.

He will also continue his education virtually throughout the season with the full support of the club.

NWSL team the Washington Spirit have signed 15-year-old midfielder Chloe Ricketts.

With deal, high school becomes youngest NWSL sophomore ever signed

Ricketts overtakes Portland Thorns FC’s Olivia Moultrie, who signed at 15 years and 286 days

Ricketts joined the Spirit for preseason training camp in January after being invited as part of a group of non-roster players to travel with the team to Florida and train in Leesburg, Virginia.

The young star is said to have impressed with his competitive drive and ability to compete with players at a professional level, earning him a professional contract with the team.

“The opportunity to join the Washington Spirit on a professional contract is a dream come true,” Ricketts said.

‘I look forward to continuing my development as a player and individual with the great resources here at the District. Having the opportunity to work with Dawn Scott (Performance, Medicine and Innovation) and Head Coach Mark Parsons at the start of my professional career is exciting, and I can’t wait to do my part to contribute to the success of the club… Now , let’s win another championship!’

A Michigan native, Ricketts competed for AFC Ann Arbor in 2022 after becoming the youngest player in youth club history at age 14.

In 2021, Ricketts played with the 2007 Boys Ann Arbor Tigers that won the National League’s Michigan State Cup and Great Lakes Conference, as well as the 2006 women’s team that advanced to the National League Finals. of Elite Clubs.

This season, we remain very focused on building a roster that can help us succeed now while also investing in the future,” Spirit head coach Mark Parsons said.

‘Chloe has shown great quality on and off the ball and has incredible intensity in everything she does. The vision and infrastructure of our club make this signing possible, and we look forward to Chloe developing into an important player and partner for our team.”

Originally from Michigan, Ricketts competed for AFC Ann Arbor in 2022

Ricketts’ path to the NWSL was paved by Moultrie, who made her debut as the youngest player in the league days after signing.

A lawsuit was filed on behalf of the soccer phenomenon in 2021 challenging the league’s rule that prohibited players under the age of 18.

The lawsuit alleges the rule violates antitrust law and hinders Moultrie’s career and his chances of making the US national team.

Moultrie and the NWSL eventually reached an agreement allowing him to play in the league “unless and until” a collective bargaining rule states otherwise.

Foreign leagues regularly allowed players under the age of 18 to sign contracts, while Major League Soccer, the top men’s league in the US, had no age requirement.

Moultrie, who signed an endorsement deal with Nike when she was 13, couldn’t join a team abroad under FIFA rules, which meant the NWSL was the only professional league available to her.

Moultrie had previously accepted a scholarship offer at age 11 to play for the University of North Carolina, but according to a 2019 New York Times article, he already had his sights set on the professional ranks.

She gained notoriety both for her skill and for the fact that she grew up playing with significantly older boys’ and girls’ clubs near her home in Canyon Country, California.

A lawsuit was filed on behalf of soccer phenomenon Moultrie in 2021 challenging the league’s rule banning players under the age of 18.

Moultrie has even traveled to Europe to train with teams like Olympique de Lyon and Paris St.-Germain in France, as well as Germany’s Bayern Munich.

According to the Times, Moultrie became the first girl to play for a men’s club team in the United States Developmental Academies System.

Soon after, she began playing in exhibition camps and then, at age 11, accepted a scholarship offer from North Carolina, where many of the best American women played at the collegiate level.

Nike had already featured Moultrie in an ad campaign, which is why many in the soccer world expected him to sign with the apparel giant.

Freddy Adu, an American player who was born in Ghana, turned professional at age 14 in 2004 when he was drafted to play in MLS.

However, Adu, who also signed with Nike as a teenager, struggled professionally and jumped to 13 teams over the next twelve years.

In August 2019, 14-year-old soccer standout Francis Jacobs became the youngest male player in history to sign a professional contract, signing a deal with USL championship team Orange County SC. (Jacobs was about a month younger than Adu when he signed)