Olivia Moultrie, 15, Signs with Portland Thorns After Legal Dispute With NWSL

Moultrie's signing with the Thorns comes after challenging the league's rule of prohibiting players under 18 in a lawsuit in May.

The Portland Thorns signed 15-year-old Olivia Moultrie to a three-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday, the latest step forward for her after a legal battle challenging NWSL's age limit. 

Portland acquired the rights to the midfielder in a trade from OL Reign, who acquired her rights as the first team on the NWSL Discovery Priority List, in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. 

Moultrie has trained and played in preseason games for the past three seasons with the Thorns, but was not allowed to play in official NWSL matches. 

"After the development of a comprehensive minor player protection plan and execution of a SPA, special addendum, and parent guaranty, the NWSL welcomed Olivia Moultrie into the league today," the NWSL said in a statement.

"The NWSL continues to believe that age requirements for the league should be collectively bargained (as they are in other leagues) and those negotiations are ongoing.”

Moultrie's signing with the Thorns comes after challenging the league's rule of prohibiting players under 18 in a lawsuit in May. 

Last month, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing Moultrie to sign with an NWSL team on the grounds that the league's age rule violated antitrust laws and hampered Moultrie’s career development, saying the NWSL lawyers "have offered no legitimate pro-competitive justification for treating young women who want an opportunity to play professional soccer differently than young men.”

Moultrie played with the Thorns FC Academy U-16s team, scoring nine goals in 15 matches in the 2018-19 season. In February 2020, she participated in a camp with the U-17 Women’s National Team as part of a 24-player roster for training camp.