It was the Sunday after Charlie Kirk was assassinated last fall. Professional soccer player Elizabeth Eddy was at church with her now-husband. The two attend church regularly, so while it wasn’t Kirk’s assassination that got them in the church pews, it was that tragedy that became the subject of the preacher’s sermon that day.
The preacher told the congregation that the attack on Kirk was an attack on free speech. It was that sermon that nudged Eddy, after 10 years in the National Women’s Soccer League, to speak up about a part of women’s soccer that she saw being jeopardized by the lie that men can compete as women—so in her final season, she spoke up.
“It’s like, this is way bigger than my playing career,” Eddy told The Daily Wire. “This is like, changing the landscape of women’s soccer at the professional level, which sets a precedent for all other women’s sports in America.”
Eddy announced her retirement from the NWSL on Tuesday knowing she gave her all to the league as a player both on and off the pitch.
After months of consideration and prayer, I have a special announcement to make. 😊 pic.twitter.com/03ii9LyfTi
— Elizabeth Eddy (@elizabetheddy2) March 24, 2026
It’s ironic that the toughest test of her career would end up happening outside the lines, and in the headlines. After penning a piece in the New York Post on protecting women’s spaces, and even suggesting creating new spaces for trans-identifying players, Eddy was labeled a “racist” and “transphobe” by her Angel FC teammates.
These teammates weren’t just players on the roster; they were Eddy’s friends—close friends, actually, already invited to Eddy’s upcoming wedding. After Eddy stood for biological truth, they didn’t attend.
“It was like, pretty personal, and one of them even helped my fiancé plan our engagement,” Eddy said. “It was really tough, but like, at the end of the day, I need to answer to God, not to my peers or my success level on earth or whoever else I might want to please.”
“Although I’m hurt, I’m holding out hope that one day we can have reconciliation.”
The pushback was painful, but Eddy has no regrets about her statements on women’s sports. As she looks to her post-soccer chapter, she plans to continue advocating for women to have opportunities to play in a protected category.
“I’d love to have like a bunch of kids, a bunch of boys and girls, and I want the girls to have a chance to compete and play versus having an uneven playing field from the get-go because they’re a girl,” Eddy said. “I was like, if I have any ability to affect that, I will happily spend time and effort to do that because again, people have paved the way for all of us girls in America. For example, Title IX and now that is kind of under question. I was recently in D.C. at the Supreme Court on the steps doing the part of this rally and speaking about Title IX, and that’s where I realized how fragile the current policies are and how important it is to actually engage in how to shape the policies for the future.”
In addition to her advocacy for women, Eddy is continuing to compete—trading her shin guards for surfboards. The Newport Beach, California, native grew up hitting the waves and, now that her schedule allows, she’s excited to pursue a solo sport that she says is a different kind of challenge, channeling her “competitive energy” into a “flowy state” on the water.
“I just got back actually three weeks ago from my first pro-surfing contest. It was in Barbados and it was for the World Surf League. Although I got out in the first round, I was like, this is like the coolest thing ever,” Eddy said.
She’s excited to still be a professional athlete who is actively in the fight for women’s sports. She was a utility player on the soccer pitch, meaning she could play multiple positions. Now she’ll have multiple career obligations, which include public speaking, plus a full surfing schedule. The chaos, she says, will be worth the extra work because Eddy firmly believes the more female athletes stand up for their sports, the quicker their category will be protected.
“I was completely delegitimized by how my soccer team responded and the league,” Eddy said. “So then it’s like, when the next person speaks up, they probably won’t get as delegitimized, and then a few more might speak up and it will snowball. We’re moving in a really good direction, and the more people that speak up and the sooner they do it, the better it is for all of our daughters in the future.”
It was Eddy’s faith that gave her the courage to speak out in the first place, and it’s still her faith that guides her decision-making as the veteran soccer player boldly takes on her next chapter.
“God is not changing,” Eddy said. “He’s faithful yesterday, he’s faithful today, and faithful tomorrow.”
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