Why the NWSL Challenge Cup final start time is absurd

NWSL championships deserve prime time

Another NWSL championship match, another ridiculous start time, more justified complaints. When will it end?

The NWSL Challenge Cup is nearing its conclusion with the semifinals slated for May 4 and the final on May 7. Despite the previous matches taking place in either late afternoon or evening, the final is scheduled for 1pm ET at an as-yet undetermined location. This means that if the OL Reign should make the final, they’ll kick off at 10am local time.

The last time most professional athletes played a match in the morning was in their club soccer days when it was also normal to play two games a day and six games on a weekend. No adult wants to play six games in three days, just as no adult wants to eat their pregame meal as the sun rises.

Unfortunately for many of these professional female athletes, their last experience with a morning start time for a match was just last year when it was announced the NWSL Championship game in November would kick off at 9am local time. The game was ultimately played in Louisville with a noon kickoff, but that only microscopically improved the situation and failed to address the bigger picture.

The bigger picture is the lack of value placed on professional women’s soccer in the United States, despite having a strong, increasingly competitive league with top talent and a loyal fan base. Not only are championship matches not being played in prime time, they’re being played in the morning where players are forced to set early alarms or wake up to the rooster’s crow.

These start times are tough on the players, inconvenient for the fans, and detrimental to the greater growth of the league. The players deserve better.

The league is in the midst of an important transformative period with new expansion teams, changes in leadership, and players that are speaking up. Now is not the time to take a step back.