Romantic and sexual relationships between coaches and players are inappropriate, even if they are consensual, per the NWSL and NWSLPA joint report released Wednesday.

The Sally Yates report, commissioned by U.S. Soccer and published in October, focused on predatory relationships through which coaches wielded their power to sexually and emotionally abuse players. The NWSL and NWSL Players Association report, which was the product of a 14-month investigation into widespread misconduct in the league, went a step further on the subject, calling for an end to consensual relationships between players and coaches or staff members.

The report recommends revision to the Anti-Harassment policy to also include the Non-Fraternization policy.

“The Non-Fraternization Policy should also clarify that any sexual or romantic relationship between players and those in supervisory roles over players is strictly prohibited, even if the relationship is consensual,” the report reads.

The NWSL and NWSLPA investigative team found several instances of such inappropriate relationships and raised concerns about the issues that come along with them.

The concerns include an inherent power imbalance and threats of favoritism and disruption in the team environment. One of the biggest issues with these types of relationships is they “blur the lines between appropriate and inappropriate behavior, increasing the risk of misconduct.”

Relationships between coaches and players have become commonplace in the NWSL after that trickling down from previous professional women’s soccer leagues. The report acknowledges that some of the most well-known American soccer stars are married to their former coaches, such as Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy, though the report does not mention them by name.

Chastain’s husband, Jerry Smith, was the head coach at Santa Clara when she joined the team in 1989. They were married in 1996, six years after she left the program. Smith remains the coach of the Broncos, and Chastain returned in 2010 to serve as a volunteer assistant coach on his staff.

Foudy is married to Ian Sawyers, who was an assistant coach at Sanford when she played for the Cardinal from 1989-92.

Amanda Cromwell, who was named in the report for retaliating against players while she was coach of the Orlando Pride, is also married to a former player, Megan Fish. Cromwell coached Fish in college at UCF before she went on to lead the UCLA program from 2013-21 and take the Pride job in 2021. Cromwell’s contract was terminated in October based on the findings of the investigation.

Those are just three examples of player-coach relationships, and the report mentions others.

“One former player recalled that her college goalkeeper coach and assistant coach were both married to former players,” the report reads. “She recalled thinking at the time, ‘They’re all adults,’ and did not consider the ‘context of how these people met.’”

The power imbalances at the root of these relationships are the same dynamics that can lead to abusive and non-consensual relationships.

Christy Holly, who is cited in both the Yates report and the NWSL and NWSLPA report, is in a relationship with one of his former players, Christie Pearce Rampone. The relationship began when he was her coach at Sky Blue and caused conflict within the team, per the report.

“One player said that ‘everything’ players told Pearce Rampone ‘went back to’ Holly,” the report says. “A club staff member said the relationship made players feel that they did not ‘have anyone to talk to’ or ‘anyone to trust.’”

Players felt that Holly’s decisions were centered around Pearce Rampone, according to the report. In one instance, he pulled her from the starting lineup following a fight, but when they reconciled, he put her back into the lineup.

“And while Sky Blue leadership, the League, and Racing Louisville knew that Holly had a relationship with Pearce Rampone, who had been one of his players, the relationship was generally viewed as not concerning because Pearce Rampone was older than Holly and a prominent figure within the women’s soccer landscape,” the NWSL and NWSLPA report reads.

Around the same time, Holly was engaging in acts of sexual abuse and emotional manipulation toward Erin Simon, the report says. Simon played for him both at Sky Blue and Racing Louisville, where the abuse continued. This non-consensual relationship also took place while Holly was in a consensual relationship with Pearce Rampone.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament's 19th iteration.

Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year's Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it. 

Team USA spans 12 of the sport's top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.

US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance

Team Europe​ has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.

While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven't raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.

Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.

Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as "unfinished business"

All eyes are now on Team USA's Korda, who's coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.

"Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there's a different meaning to it," the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. "You're playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there's just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business."

How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women's golf tournament

The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, Claire takes a moment to talk about the final few days of Alex Morgan’s professional career, how the soccer world has changed since Morgan’s debut, and how the star herself spoke about what’s next.

Then, she discusses what Angel Reese’s season-ending injury means for the WNBA playoff race, salutes the US Open, reflects on the 2024 Paralympic Games, and more.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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The USYNT cruised to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup knockout round in historic fashion on Saturday, routing Paraguay 7-0 in Bogotá, Colombia, thanks to stellar showings from young NCAA and NWSL standouts.

Armed with the most pros to ever feature on a US U-20 World Cup roster with eight NWSL rookies, the USYNT pulled off the largest U-20 WWC win in team history.

The US hasn't won a U-20 WWC in 12 years​, with 2024 marking the first time they've made it out of the tournament's group stage since 2016.

Young NWSL and NCAA players level up the U-20 game

Though long viewed as inferior to Europe and its club-based academy system, US players opting to turn pro at younger ages are making the USYNT increasingly competitive — a trend that's also pushing college programs to new heights.

In Saturday's win, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson​ and Utah Royals rookie Ally Sentnor both found the back of the net, while the youngest goal-scorer in Seattle Reign history, winger Emeri Adames, tied Heather O'Reilly's 2002 national record for most assists in a single U-20 World Cup game with three in the first half. 

Representing the NCAA, Princeton junior Pietra Tordin made her U-20 World Cup scoring debut count with a hat trick — the first US player to do so since Savannah DeMelo in 2018.

USYNT to face Mexico in U-20 knockout clash

Unlike previous editions, this year's expanded U-20 World Cup​ includes a Round of 16 for the first time. 

The USYNT will face regional rival Mexico tomorrow, a team they lost to in the 2023 Concacaf Championship​ final before settling two July friendlies with a draw and a win.

How to watch the US vs. Mexico at the U-20 World Cup

Catch the US women's youth national team take on Mexico in U-20 World Cup action at 9 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage on FS2.

Already one of the most popular women’s spectator sports in the US, the 2024 NCAA volleyball season is off to the races this month as the shifting lines of modern college sports plays out in real time​.

Thanks to major conference realignments, regional rivalries turned national storylines will drive the narrative all the way to December's NCAA tournament.

The Big Ten's big changes

At the forefront of these shifts is longtime volleyball powerhouse the Big Ten, which welcomed USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the Pac-12 this summer to bring the conference total to 18 teams​.

Added travel, raucous home crowds, and even fiercer competition will play into the conference's season storyline as Midwest heavyweights Wisconsin and Nebraska meet West Coast specialists in a quest to bring the Big Ten its first NCAA title since 2021.

"We knew the venues, everything was comfortable," Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer, speaking with JWS at last month's Big Ten Media Day​ in Chicago, said of his team’s former Pac-12 home. "I think we're going to [see] a lot of uncomfortableness this year, just with new change."

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Surprises and upsets already define the 2024 season

Mirroring that uncertainty, several 2023 heavy-hitters​ have already produced surprising results this season. Two-time defending champion Texas fell to Minnesota in early non-conference play and again to unranked Miami last weekend, while Wisconsin went 0-3 before picking up a pair of weekend wins.

Then last week, 2023 runners-up Nebraska suffered a historic upset loss to unranked SMU, though they also bounced back with weekend victories.

With Power 10 rankings already a rollercoaster, expect even more impressive performances, greater parity, and larger crowds as college volleyball rides its meteoric rise through 2024.