On Monday, the US National Soccer Team Players Association released the following statement on behalf of its members in response to the ongoing issue with using artificial turf for the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
USNSTPA statement on proposal to play the 2015 Women’s World Cup on artificial turf
The United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) and its members fully support the Women’s National Team players from around the world in their efforts to play on natural grass at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. We know firsthand the importance of playing the World Cup on natural grass and the ways playing on artificial turf changes the game’s fundamentals. We have all played on artificial turf and we know there are circumstances where it is appropriate or conditions require its use, but the World Cup is not one of those circumstances. To play the Women’s World Cup on artificial turf would be a serious mistake.
We support the right of the women players to stand up for what they believe. No player should ever be threatened with exclusion from their national team, damage to their career, or adverse consequences to their national team or the sport in their country (such as exclusion from the World Cup or damaging their country’s chances of hosting a World Cup) for exercising their legal rights, especially when they are trying to protect the sport, the fans, and their fellow players.
The message is simple and unequivocal: the World Cup should not be played on artificial turf and the organizers and the players should work together to schedule the games on grass for the benefit of the sport, the players, and the fans who will be attending and watching this and future Women’s World Cups.
