Thorns negotiate contract to allow Olivia Moultrie to play

The Oregonian’s Maxine Bernstein reported on Monday that Portland Thorns FC has negotiated a contract to allow 15-year-old Olivia Moultrie to play with the club. As of right now, they are waiting on approval from the NWSL.

Moultrie returned to court Monday to argue that the NWSL has moved too slowly after a judge temporarily lifted the league’s 18-year-old minimum age rule. Several Thorns players as well as coach Mark Parsons were there watching in court.

The process so far has been a muddied one. After the judge’s decision to lift the rule, the Thorns made a discovery claim with the NWSL. The league rejected the Thorns’ claim, leading to four other NWSL teams also filing a request. The rights were eventually awarded to OL Reign, who then traded the rights to the Thorns.

After submitting a detailed compliance plan to the league on Sunday night, the Thorns had come up with a contract agreement by mid-day today. It is unknown whether or not Moultrie — who has been practicing with the club — will be able to play in the next Thorns game on June 20.

For more details, read Bernstein’s article here. You can also read a past story from Stumptown Footy on this topic here.