EletiofeThe NWSL is going to play its championship at...

The NWSL is going to play its championship at 9 a.m. on a field the players hate

-

- Advertisment -

The NWSL’s 2021 championship has its time and location. Seemingly none of the players are happy about it.

The top American women’s soccer league announced Monday that its championship match will be held at Providence Park, home of the Portland Thorns, on Nov. 20. At 9 a.m. local time.

The league’s commissioner had this to say:

“We’re excited to bring the NWSL Championship back to Providence Park,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. “Portland is a fantastic soccer city with a passionate fanbase, and we’re confident the stadium will provide a wonderful atmosphere to celebrate the culmination of the 2021 season.”

While Portland’s fans might be passionate, the league’s players were significantly less eager about the announcement, both due to the early start time and the chosen location. Providence Park is unpopular among players due its use of artificial turf in lieu of natural grass, making falls harder and the game more difficult to play.

For comparison, none of the teams in the FA Women’s Super League, the top level of English soccer, play on turf fields, though some do play on a hybrid surface often seen in the men’s Premier League. It’s also worth noting Portland hosted the NWSL championship in both 2015 and 2018, so this isn’t a case bringing the championship to a city for the first time.

The reason for the absurdly early start time is almost certainly money. Per the NWSL, the championship match will air on CBS and its streaming service Paramount+ in the U.S., so we are likely looking at a situation in which a broadcaster didn’t want its primetime or late afternoon schedule disrupted, leaving the NWSL to hold its biggest match at a time when some fans are just waking up.

None of that was a consolation for a very online group of players, who bombarded the league with scorn for its choices:

We’ll see if the NWSL or CBS makes a change. Otherwise, the tweets are just going to keep coming.

Latest news

Arewa Group Demands Ningi’s Reinstatement, Threatens To Mobilize People From 19 Northern States To Storm The National Assembly

The Arewa Advancement for Peace and Development Initiative has expressed disappointment over the suspension of Bauchi lawmaker, Abdul Ningi, ...

Nigerian Woman Loses Pregnancy While In Police Custody In Anambra

Mrs. Mmesoma Odili, a pregnant Nigerian woman from Umuosiegbo village, Umunya in Oyi local government area of Anambra State,...

Slain 17 Military Personnel: Wanted Delta Monarch Surrenders Himself To Nigeria Police

One individual among the eight persons declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters in connection with the killing of 17...

Stop Denigrating Nigeria In Your Sermons – Tinubu Tells Religious Leaders

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged religious leaders to desist from condemning the nation in their sermons. The...
- Advertisement -

17-year-old Girl R*ped And Strangled To Death By Her Cousin In South Africa

A 17-year-old secondary school student, Owami Visagie, was allegedly s3xually violated and strangled to death by her cousin in...

Renowned Nigerian Playwright, Wole Oguntokun Is Dead

Wole Oguntokun, the renowned Nigerian playwright and theatre director, has died. Oguntokun, who was also a lawyer, passed...

Must read

Nigerian Woman Loses Pregnancy While In Police Custody In Anambra

Mrs. Mmesoma Odili, a pregnant Nigerian woman from Umuosiegbo...
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you