Rec Sports

The Curious Juggernaut: The DPRK Women’s Youth Teams

Published

2 weeks ago

January 1, 2026

North Korea isn’t quite a traditional footballing powerhouse, but in recent years, the nation’s youth women’s national teams have been nothing if not dominant.

The Hermit Kingdom. International Pariah. Terrorist State.

The very name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, evokes sentiments of dystopia, dictatorship, and backwardness. Compared to their cosmopolitan, larger-than-life neighbors to the south, the communist north presents as a gray morass of state-mandated conformity and suppression.

Its mercurial leader, Kim Jong-Un, is as close to an international boogeyman as exists in modern geopolitics, frequently portrayed as an unhinged madman with his finger hovering perilously above the nuclear button. North Korea’s citizens are subjected to an overwhelming onslaught of state propaganda in nearly all facets of life, attempting to convince them that the world is out to get them and that they stand alone against the capitalist monsters at their doorstep.

For more than half a century, soccer has been called, almost past the point of irony, the beautiful game. It emphasizes creative expression, ecstatic play, and the exhilaration of enigmatic moments and personalities above all else. So how in the world has North Korea, which embodies the very converse of these ideals, been so immensely successful in the arena of women’s youth soccer?

Unparalleled Success

It’s exceedingly difficult to brand any youth international team a “powerhouse.” After all, the nature of these teams is that players age out of them. You might get a golden generation here and there that wins big throughout various age groups, but those players invariably graduate to the senior level, where they either sink or swim (in many cases the former). The North Korean women’s youth national teams, on the other hand, have laid down a marker at international competitions in recent years that is not likely to be replicated by any team in the world.

On November 8, 2025, in Rabat, Morocco, the DPRK’s U-17 women’s side went up against their Dutch counterparts for the world title. The Netherlands rode their luck to get to this stage, scraping by on penalties against the United States and France before eking out a 1-0 win against Mexico in the semifinals. The Dutch were considered a big, physical side that no one in their right mind would want to play against.

The final against North Korea, however, was a forgone conclusion. The young Dutch stood not a snowball’s chance in hell. They’d been drubbed in the group stage by their Asian opponents, arriving at an embarrassing 5-0 scoreline that left little doubt as to which was the better side.

It was over seemingly before it began. The ferocious and fearless North Koreans pounced on every loose ball and ran out to a 3-0 lead before halftime. The goals themselves were amateurish at best, emblematic of a supremely confident squad taking on an overwhelmed opponent who was truly out of its depth. The Dutch conceded via the failure to clear a looping ball, then by turning over deep in their own territory, and finally by playing an underhit backpass, which was gobbled up by North Korea’s Pak Rye-Yong.

Star 16-year-old striker Yu Jong-hyang took home the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament, and bagged the Golden Boot for her eight goals in the competition.

Following the match, Dutch coach Olivier Amelink was magnanimous, telling FIFA.com, “I don’t think we could have beaten them. I think the gap between Korea DPR and us is simply too big to compete with them at the moment.”

The tournament in Morocco was the fourth edition of the Women’s U-17 World Cup, won by the DPRK for the second time in as many years. It is the most successful team in the history of the competition, but the fireworks don’t end with that age group. The North Korea Women’s U-20 team has won the World Cup three times, most recently in 2024, with victories over traditional powerhouses the United States, Japan, and Brazil en route.

Pyongyang Academy

The crown jewel of the North Korean sporting establishment is the Pyongyang International Football Academy. Opened in 2012, the academy is a sprawling three-acre modern soccer training facility located just to the southwest of the national team’s home, May Day Stadium, in the heart of Pyongyang.

The school boasts around 200 players between the ages of 7 and 17. They are identified by a massive, nationwide scouting network that brings the most talented youngsters and their families to the capital to undergo intense schooling and soccer training. This opportunity represents a sort of upward mobility for rural families, as life in the North Korean capital is described as far more pleasant than the far-flung agrarian lifestyle.

This state-level sporting investment can actually be traced back to the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, who, in the 1980s, served as a sort of cultural decision maker in his father’s government. He tried his hand at everything, from filmmaking to music to sports. In 1985, the Kim family announced a program of state investment in women’s soccer, surprising many since the sport had been played exclusively by North Korean men up to that point.

Some assert that the burgeoning world of women’s sports had a lower barrier to entry than men’s sports and would be a field rich with propagandizing victories over Western rivals. This investment led little by little to a formalization of women’s sports in the country, organized under the banner of the central government in Pyongyang, which went on to found various high-level sporting academies that served a singular purpose: to create generations of high-performance athletes to be trotted out as proof of communist exceptionalism.

The Pyongyang Academy and North Korea’s investment in women’s sports can be seen as an early and prominent form of the practice that has been so prevalent in recent years: sportswashing. Currently, it’s a bevy of Persian Gulf oil states using massive investment in sports as a vehicle for rehabilitating their public image. FIFA and its cadre of satellite federations have only been too happy to accept their tainted lucre.

At least the DPRK is claiming to educate its athletes! The North Korean state assures us that the education their players receive at the Pyongyang Academy is well-rounded. According to the DPRK’s official website, “Football players should be prepared physically and technically. However, they can achieve deserved results only when they are supported by independent judgment and other creative thoughts. A future football ace is among those who can anticipate two or more through the one taught by teachers and get into action promptly.”

Critics will point out the irony of a dictatorial, homogenous regime ostensibly emphasizing the importance of creativity and self-expression. Conversely, the militaristic training and overtly nationalistic environment of the Pyongyang Academy are common explanations for the domination of the North Korean youth teams. How, we wonder, can Western, African, or Middle Eastern teams compete with heavy-handed state control of the entire sporting establishment?

Young players in, for lack of a better term, capitalist countries are actually taught the value of expression and individualism on the pitch; it’s not just lip service. They aren’t, like the North Koreans, subjected to intense physical training that would make GI Jane sick to her stomach. Young Dutch, American, or English women aren’t subject to punishment at the hands of their own government if they fail to perform well in international competition.

Some will point out that North Korea in international competition plays not only for individual glory or the success of a nation, but as a reflection of their entire communist existence, as a proof of concept of a social and economic organization that most of the rest of the world has eschewed. Is it possible that 16-year-olds have so enthusiastically internalized this struggle?

What’s worse, some outside critics have even levied accusations of gender-based cheating at the North Korean teams, asserting that some of their young women might, in fact, be young men.

It’s important to note that none of these accusations come with much merit. Although rumors circulated following the men’s disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign that various players and coaches had been thrown in re-education camps. These reports are dubious, with none of the major news outlets able to corroborate these sensational detentions. There were confirmed “criticism sessions” carried out at which players and coaches were made to explain publicly the reasons for their failure. But hey, does that really sound much worse than a press conference with British media?

As far as the gender thing is concerned, I don’t think anyone has offered much in the way of evidence other than the young North Korean women having short haircuts.

This is certainly not meant to exonerate the oftentimes cruel and draconian North Korea regime. The DPRK has a long history of sporting crimes, principally maltreatment of athletes and doping. What seems a bridge too far, however, is devaluing the success of these teams because of the society in which they live, or using their particular way of life as a cheap explanation for their being very, very good at soccer. “Of course they’re good at soccer!” a critic might charge. “Their government will kill them if they’re not!”

It’s hard to watch the DPRK women’s youth teams play and overlay a collective fear of state retribution. Their play is not particularly rigid or drilled, and occasionally includes a type of flair and creativity that wouldn’t look out of place on the beaches of Copacabana. Upon scoring their myriad goals at this year’s U-17 Women’s World Cup, none of the North Korean players’ faces betrayed any sense of relief, but instead highlighted a heightened camaraderie and belief among the team. This is to say, it’s entirely possible that these young women are supremely talented, have a deep, abiding passion for the game of soccer, and just happen to live in a cloistered communist dystopia. Multiple things can be true.

What’s Next?

In the modern geopolitical climate, North Korean players are severely limited in terms of their soccer development.

Before the pandemic, there was a smattering of male players from the DPRK who managed to make their marks in European club football. Notably, Han Kwang-song played for Cagliari in Serie A and became the first-ever Asian player to appear on the bench for Juventus, but had his European career prematurely shuttered by United Nations sanctions that prevented North Koreans from living and working abroad in response to Pyongyang’s insistence on pursuing its renegade nuclear weapons program.

Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

Han reportedly spent two to three years trapped at North Korea’s embassy in China during the COVID-19 pandemic, unable to return to his home country due to travel restrictions. He finally returned to action on the pitch for April 25 Sports Club, a team based in Pyongyang, in 2023.

This is a possible explanation for why the women’s team has been, as of yet, unable to repeat their youth success at the senior level. Players are limited in terms of moving abroad to foreign clubs because of international work restrictions. They also lack any sort of mechanism for receiving their salaries; any money players earn would be funneled directly to the North Korean state, which, in legalese, would amount to any foreign club funding “state terrorism.”

The litany of international sanctions levied against North Korea has rendered the nation unable to continue its upward trajectory in the world of international soccer. For talented North Korean women like Kim Phyong-hwa and Choe Il-son to make moves to major European or American clubs, the North Korean regime would have to make major diplomatic inroads, submitting to heretofore untenable processes like nuclear weapons and human rights inspections. That is why, as of this writing, each and every player representing North Korea on the men’s and women’s national teams plays their club football domestically.

The team is also limited in terms of opponents. The North Korean federation withdrew from men’s World Cup qualifying for 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and did not return to international competition until 2023. The women’s team similarly retreated from international play until recently. The country also suffers from a lack of willing opponents for FIFA friendly windows, and this past year, the men’s side was forced to play a series of friendlies against lower-division Russian clubs.

This came after the great shame of the North Korean women being banned from participation in the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Multiple DPRK players tested positive for prohibited substances at the 2011 Women’s World Cup after FIFA blanket-tested the entire squad. The North Korean federation came out with an absolute banger of an explanation for the test results, claiming that the banned substance in question was actually a traditional Chinese medicine derived from deer musk, used to treat people who have been struck by lightning. FIFA fined the North Koreans $400,000 and effectively cast them into the international soccer doldrums for an entire generation.

But if the North Korean women continue their success at the senior level at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, the team’s immensely talented individual players will be impossible to ignore. It won Group H in the first round of Asian qualifying for the tournament, boasting a plus-26 differential after only three games. The 2026 Women’s Asian Cup actually serves as the final round of qualifying for the federation, with all semifinalists automatically qualifying and quarterfinal teams going into a playoff for the final two spots.

International tournaments have always served as a springboard to high-profile moves at the club level, and it would come as no great surprise to see some intrepid European or American club seek to entice the regime with an irresistible offer.

What comes next is the purview of political scientists and analysts the world over. Will the DPRK regime decide that sports continue to be a low-cost way to showcase the exceptionality of its communist regime? Or will relations continue to freeze over with the rest of the world, condemning a golden generation of nascent North Korean superstars to stagnate in an unholy footballing purgatory?

The North Korean women will almost certainly line up at the next World Cup in 18 months’ time. It’s a safe bet that no one will want to play them. We can only hope that, from a soccer perspective, its brightest young stars are allowed to shine.

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More Orioles giveaways and promotions announced, questions for Birdland Caravan

Published

35 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Tickets for all regular-season games at Camden Yards and special ticket packages go on sale to the general public on Wednesday.

Just head over to Orioles.com/Tickets for more information and to make purchases.

The club also announced some additional promotions, including Tupac and Pete Alonso bobbleheads. Because you can’t think of one without the other.

Shakur lived in Baltimore from 1984–88 and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz and ballet.

The Orioles will distribute Tupac Bobbleheads to the first 15,000 fans prior to the Friday, May 8 game against the Athletics, and the Alonso Bobblehead to the first 15,000 fans prior to the Saturday, Aug. 22 game against the Rays.

The special ticket package offers can be accessed at Orioles.com/TicketPackages. A complete list of current promotions and special ticket packages, including some promotional item imagery and quantities, can be found online at Orioles.com/Promotions.

Here’s the list of new promotions, with some giveaways or experiences attached:

April 11: Bark at Oriole Park
April 12: Scouts Day (pregame parade)
April 14: Lacrosse Night (Lacrosse Pinnie)
April 15: Field Trip Day (pregame show)
April 24: HBCU& Divine Nine Night (Bucket Hat)
April 26: Youth Baseball & Softball Day (pregame parade)
April 28: Military Appreciation Night (Military Hat)
April 30: Field Trip Day (pregame show)

May 11: Healthcare Appreciation Night (Crewneck)
May 13: Japanese Heritage Night (Jersey)
May 22: Educator Appreciation Night (Windbreaker)
May 26: Jewish Heritage Night (Jersey)
May 27: Bark at Oriole Park
May 28: AAPI Night (Hat)
May 31: Youth Sports Day (pregame parade)

June 12: Union Night
June 30: Swim Night (Swim Cap)
June 30: Run Club Night (Running Hat)
June 30: Pickleball Night (Pickleball Paddle)

July 1: Day Camp Day
July 8: Women’s Night (Quarter Zip)
July 9: Christian Faith Night (postgame concert)

Aug. 6: Day Camp Day

Sept. 8: First Responders Night (Hat)

The club already shared more details about the Birdland Caravan that runs from Jan. 22-24 with stops in Baltimore, Bethesda, Ellicott City, Halethorpe, Linthicum Heights, Sykesville, White Marsh and a mystery Pop-Up Photo Op location in Prince George’s County.

The event provides a rare opportunity for the media to catch up with some players during the offseason. Information on access will become available within the next week.

We’ll always remember interviewing reliever Dillon Tate at the 2023 Caravan about his selection to the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic. He called it a “crazy feeling.”

More crazy was Tate already knowing that he had a right elbow flexor strain. He wasn’t pitching for Team USA. He didn’t pitch for the Orioles.

Knowing who’s participating this month, here are a few question ideas for anyone made available.

Manager Craig Albernaz

What does he think about the current roster since the last time we spoke to him? He’s got two new starters – well, one new and one returnee – with Shane Baz and Zach Eflin.

What kind of prep work has he done leading up to spring training and his first camp as a major league manager?

How has he been received by players, fans and anyone else with a pulse?

Anything relating to the rotation and lineup, despite how it’s too early to ask about anything relating to the rotation and lineup.

Albernaz also will be asked about his coaching staff.

First baseman Pete Alonso

Alonso already sat through a 45-minute press conference after signing his five-year, $155 million contract and nothing new has happened to him. But that was a month ago.

Has he found a place to live or is the move on hold?

What’s his usual offseason routine to get ready for spring training?

Any new thoughts on the roster and chances of playing in the World Series?

Has he talked to any new teammates?

Anything relating to his interaction with the public.

Anything relating to his bobblehead.

Hopefully, something a lot more interesting than these ideas.

Gunnar Henderson

His reaction to the Alonso signing and other moves made so far this offseason.

Playing for Team USA, and sharing shortstop with Bobby Witt Jr.

His big arbitration raise, the largest in team history for a first-timer.

Married life.

He’s probably going to be asked about the shoulder impingement from last season that he talked about last week on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show.”

How confident is Henderson that he can put up numbers closer to his 2024 season?

How does Henderson feel about the Albernaz hiring?

Has Henderson connected with new hitting coach Dustin Lind and assistant Brady North?

Any opinions on new infield coach Miguel Cairo?

Adley Rutschman

Can he get through the season without injuring an oblique, or anything else?

Like everyone else, he’s going to be asked about playing for a new manager, and he also can comment on the hitting coaches.

Rutschman also can talk about catching coach Joe Singley and having former major league catcher Hank Conger on the staff as bullpen coach. And having Albernaz, a standout defensive catcher in the minors.

What did Rutschman see from Samuel Basallo after the top prospect’s promotion in August?

Rutschman probably will be asked about catching Shane Baz, as well as Eflin’s return. Perhaps by Caravan time, the Orioles will have added another starter for Rutschman to comment on and later catch.

Jackson Holliday

What areas is he concentrating on during his offseason workouts?

How much of it is getting more comfortable at second base?

Having Alonso on the right side of the infield.

The importance of veteran leaders like Alonso and Taylor Ward in his development.

The same Cairo question.

I’ll focus on other confirmed participates later this week.

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Potomac Falls graduate Jalen Coker emerges as needed reliable No. 2 wide receiver for Bryce Young in Carolina | Sports

Published

44 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

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US supreme court considers state bans on transgender athletes in school sports – live | US supreme court

Published

51 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

US supreme court considers state bans on transgender athletes in school sports

Sam Levin

The US supreme court is considering the rights of transgender youth athletes on Tuesday in a major hearing on state laws banning trans girls from girls sports teams.

Oral arguments center on two cases of trans students who sued over the Republican-backed laws in Idaho and West Virginia prohibiting them from participating in girls athletic programs. The cases could have far-reaching implications for civil rights, with a ruling against the athletes potentially eroding a range of protections for trans youth and LGBTQ+ people more broadly.

In West Virginia v BPJ, 15-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson challenged the state’s 2021 law banning her from track. A federal court blocked the ban, but the state appealed to the supreme court.

In the second case, Little v Hecox, Lindsay Hecox, a trans college student pursuing track, sued to overturn Idaho’s first-in-the-nation 2020 law categorically banning trans women and girls from women’s sports teams. She has since pushed to have the case dismissed, saying she is not doing sports in college and doesn’t want further harassment, but the supreme court is still hearing the matter.

Twenty-seven states have now restricted trans youth access to school sports – most with laws targeting trans girls, but some applying to all trans youth. Defenders of the bans argue they are promoting fairness and safety in women’s sports, while trans rights advocates counter the laws are cruel and discriminatory, and that there’s no credible evidence inclusive sports policies have endangered cis girls and women.

We’ll bring you all the latest from inside and outside the court as we get it.

Key events

Block argued that Pepper-Jackson has no physiological / competitive advantage, given that she had been through female puberty.

The purpose of sex separation is to control for the sex-based differential that comes through puberty. By virtue of her medical care, BPJ has controlled for those sex-based advantages.

Joshua Block, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, is now arguing on behalf of Becky Pepper-Jackson.

Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether the court’s landmark 2020 finding that federal law protects transgender people from workplace discrimination also applies to women’s sports.

Roberts sided with the majority in that decision, but indicated that the reasoning might not apply in this case.

The question here is whether or not a sex-based classification is necessarily a transgender classification.

Trans youth athletes speak out: ‘Sports is my everything’

In the lead up to today’s oral arguments, we spoke with trans youth athletes and their families about the role of sports in their lives and the toll of exclusionary policies.

Here are clips from interviews with three students:

Trans youth athletes in the US speak out on the fight for their rights: ‘Playing is an act of resistance’

Rec Sports

Why Do Cities Build Sports Complexes Instead of Neighborhood Fields?

Published

59 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Here’s a story you’ve probably heard before:

A new youth sports complex opens on the edge of town. Ten or twelve pristine fields. Acres of parking. A name that signals ambition… Regional, Legacy, Premier. On weekends, the place is packed with tournament traffic: minivans, tents, folding chairs, vendors. On weekdays, it sits largely empty. At the same time, closer to the city’s core, school fields are locked after hours. Park courts lack lights. Neighborhoods dense with children and young adults have no playable space within walking distance.

This coexistence (abundance on the outskirts, scarcity at the center) does not feel accidental. It’s the result of a set of incentives that consistently push cities toward large, centralized sports complexes rather than small, distributed neighborhood fields.

The question is not whether these complexes “work.” Many of them do exactly what they are designed to do. The question is what problem they are actually solving.

aerial photography of soccer field — *Photo by* *Alexander Londoño* on *Unsplash*

Large sports complexes are attractive to city governments because they are easy to explain. They arrive with economic impact studies attached: hotel nights, restaurant spending, regional visitors. They come with clear capital budgets, naming rights, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. They can be photographed from the air and branded as evidence of investment. A $30 million complex feels like progress because it is visible.

Neighborhood fields, by contrast, don’t always photograph well. A lit mini-pitch on a residential block looks like maintenance instead of transformation. Ten small investments scattered across a city do not produce a single moment of political credit in the way one large facility does.

In the end, cities are not only responding to community need; they are responding to the logic of governance. Centralized projects are legible to councils, donors, and the press. Distributed infrastructure is quieter and harder to narrate. The result is predictable: cities optimize for visibility rather than proximity.

Beyond politics, sports complexes solve a series of administrative challenges. They centralize scheduling, liability, maintenance, and security. They allow recreation departments to manage sport as a contained activity rather than a diffuse one. Insurance is simpler, permitting clearer, and staff can be concentrated in one place.

Neighborhood fields demand something different. They require tolerance for informal use. They require shared ownership and ambiguity. They invite unscheduled play, mixed ages, and overlapping activities. They make risk harder to quantify and control.

Over time, American cities have made a quiet tradeoff: In the name of safety, efficiency, and liability management, they have narrowed the conditions under which play is allowed to happen. Locked school fields are the clearest example. Publicly funded land—arguably the most evenly distributed athletic infrastructure in the country—is increasingly inaccessible outside of sanctioned hours for certain groups. What once functioned as a neighborhood commons now operates as a reserved facility.

This is not some sort of conspiracy; it is a cumulative effect of policy choices that privilege order over use. In any case, the outcome is the same: informal play disappears, not because people stopped wanting it, but because cities stopped permitting it.

a group of young children playing a game of soccer — *Photo by* *Matthew Osborn* on *Unsplash*

Sports complexes are often defended as “for the kids”, which is true, but incomplete. They are for a specific kind of kid: one whose family has transportation, flexible weekends, and the means to pay tournament and registration fees. They are for teams already inside organized systems.

A facility located thirty minutes from most neighborhoods, designed around weekend tournaments, implicitly excludes:

children who rely on public transit
adults who work nonstandard hours
people seeking casual, after-work play
families for whom sport is not a full-time logistical project

By contrast, neighborhood fields, especially when lit and unlocked, serve a much broader population. They support:

spontaneous play
intergenerational use
adult recreation
repeated, low-pressure participation

The difference is not simply access, but frequency. A child who can play three nights a week within walking distance accumulates far more meaningful engagement than one who plays once a week at a distant complex.

Complexes maximize peak usage. Neighborhood fields maximize lifetime usage. Cities tend to choose the former.

One reason this pattern persists is scale. A single large complex carries a large price tag, which paradoxically makes it easier to justify. It feels like a serious investment and a line item that commands attention. Distributed infrastructure does not. Ten $1 million neighborhood projects feel incremental rather than transformative, even if they serve more people more often. Maintenance budgets are harder to celebrate than capital expenditures.

Yet from a public-health and civic perspective, the return on neighborhood infrastructure is often higher. A small field used daily by dozens of people across age groups produces more cumulative hours of movement, social contact, and belonging than a complex used intensely but intermittently. The problem is not that cities lack resources. It is that they measure success at the wrong scale.

woman in white shirt sitting on basketball court during daytime — *Photo by* *Joshua Kettle* on *Unsplash*

This is not an abstract critique. Other cities offer concrete alternatives. In the Paris suburbs, municipal pitches are embedded directly into residential neighborhoods. These are not elite facilities. They are durable, visible, and permissive. Community tournaments like the Coupe d’Aulnay use public fields to create large-scale civic events without privatizing space. In Medellín, small neighborhood courts—canchas de barrio—were built deliberately as tools of violence reduction and social cohesion. Lighting, visibility, and accessibility mattered more than surface quality. These spaces became anchors of daily life, not destinations.

Even within the United States, basketball provides a telling comparison. For much of the twentieth century, cities invested heavily in outdoor courts. These were cheap, ubiquitous, and politically uncontroversial. They produced a culture of pickup play that persists decades later. Basketball did not become a public language because of professional leagues alone. It became a public language because cities made it unavoidable.

Soccer, by contrast, was routed into complexes and clubs. This difference was not inevitable. It was designed. So… what would change if cities asked a different question?

Instead of: How do we host more tournaments?

Ask: Can a twelve-year-old play within a ten-minute walk of home, three nights a week?

Instead of: How do we attract regional events?

Ask: Where do adults play after work without registering, paying, or driving across town?

These questions point toward a different set of investments:

lighting instead of fencing
unlocked gates instead of reservation systems
durable surfaces instead of showcase turf
policy that tolerates informal use rather than suppressing it

The most powerful sports infrastructure is not the kind people travel to; it’s the kind they stop noticing because it is always there.

Cities keep building sports complexes not because they are the best way to create access, but because they are the easiest way to demonstrate investment. They are legible, controllable, and photogenic. Neighborhood fields are none of those things. They are messy. They are dispersed. They blur the line between program and public life… But they do something complexes cannot.

They turn play into a daily practice rather than a scheduled event. They allow sport to function as civic infrastructure rather than consumer experience. American cities do not lack ambition when it comes to sports. They lack imagination about scale.

Ultimately, the choice is not between excellence and access. it’s between building for moments and building for lives. If cities want sport to serve public health, belonging, and community—rather than only weekends and tournaments—they will need fewer showcases and more spaces where nothing is scheduled, and everything is possible.

[[divider]]

This article was originally published, in slightly different form, on Noah Toumert’s The People’s Pitch. It is shared here with permission.

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Turf defeats grass in El Camino Park showdown

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Players in the 2012 NPL boys soccer team practice at Cubberley’s turf soccer field in Palo Alto on January 28, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.

In the pursuit of easier maintenance and year-round playability, Palo Alto officials approved installing new artificial turf at the El Camino Park playing fields Monday night, concluding, at least for now, the prolonged debate that pit environmentalists against soccer players and their coaches.

However, the approved fields look a bit different than the ones that were proposed before the City Council in November. That’s because a council ad hoc committee was tasked with learning more about the technology and risks associated with synthetic turf, and recommended a natural cork infill as opposed to the typical rubber pellets. The goal of the cork infill is to reduce the amount of plastic as well as the surface temperature of the fields, which tend to develop heat islands during warmer weather. Other risk mitigation efforts include annual testing and site-specific filtration to limit the plastic runoff into stormwater drains.

“There was just no way to replace the El Camino fields with grass without displacing huge numbers of players,” said Mayor Vicki Veenker, who served on the ad hoc committee.

It only took a consultant study, two Parks and Recreation Commission discussions, two council discussions, and a specially appointed council hoc committee to decide which material the city should use to resurface the El Camino turf fields, which are reaching the end of their usable life. The ad hoc committee was formed at the end of a lengthy discussion on Nov. 17, when instead of taking a vote, the council deferred the decision yet again

Council members Julie Lythcott-Haims, Keith Reckdahl and George Lu were ready that night to go with the committee and consultant recommendation of synthetic turf — but their three votes were not enough to muster a majority. Instead, then-Vice Mayor Veenker, then-Mayor Ed Lauing and Council member Pat Burt joined the ad hoc committee to further review the issue.

The committee’s meetings were not publicly available, but a staff report summarizing the discussion took care to emphasize the greater number of playable hours offered by synthetic turf compared to natural grass. According to the staff report, a natural grass replacement could displace more than 1,000 players annually due to winter weather rendering the grass unplayable.

While the consultant study and the Parks and Recreation Commission both recommended artificial turf as the best option for El Camino, the City Council initially appeared keen to heed the warnings of environmental advocates who raised concerns about microplastics and forever chemicals. They have argued before the council several times that the increased playability of synthetic turf — or “plastic carpet,” as some call it — is not worth the environmental contamination.

Advocates have also taken issue with the consultant study upon which city officials have relied to make their decision, saying that it exaggerates the playable hours of turf and minimizes the long-term costs and risks of playing on plastic. Some argued that the city does not truly understand the hazards of synthetic turf. Claire Elliott, an ecologist who lives in Ventura, urged the council to formally reject the consultant study that recommended turf.

“I am frankly dismayed that we are still considering plastic-coating our parks with this material,” Elliott said. “It’s really not an environmentally sound decision and I think of Palo Alto being a city that generally makes environmentally sound decisions, so it’s disappointing.”

Even at just one minute per speaker, the public comment portion of the meeting took close to an hour, with 42 people (and more than a few youth soccer players) lined up in the council chambers and on Zoom to offer their support or condemnation of synthetic turf fields.

Speakers who have opposed turf previously were not satisfied with the risk mitigation efforts proposed by the ad hoc committee, arguing that “better plastic” is still plastic at the end of the day.

The back-and-forth also got testier on Monday night compared to previous meetings, with several residents addressing other speakers directly instead of the council.

“To the patronizing speakers who think that we’re too dumb to understand this, I’m a professor in public health, and look how healthy the soccer players look versus the people who spoke against the soccer fields,” said Adam Olshen, who spoke in favor of synthetic turf.

While the rest of the council was persuaded by the upgraded synthetic turf option, Vice Mayor Greer Stone found himself as the sole no vote. He acknowledged this fact on the dais, but said the health risks described by the Santa Clara County Medical Association were too great to vote in favor of synthetic turf.

“I think it’s a false choice to say that we’re choosing synthetic turf and then youth sports, or if we choose natural grass we are voting against youth sports,” Stone said. “Sports will continue; I think we can find better ways to create access to it.”

Stone added that he hopes the resurfacing of the El Camino fields will be the last time synthetic turf is used in Palo Alto.

The council’s motion leaves room to pursue a natural grass pilot elsewhere in the city, with fields at Greer Park and Cubberley Community Center floated as options. The motion also makes explicit reference to transitioning the Cubberley synthetic fields to natural grass when they are due for resurfacing in 2028.

“We don’t have time to go through that (natural turf) learning curve while the kids are sitting there waiting for the grass to grow,” Reckdahl said. “I think in the short term, we unfortunately have no option but to go to the artificial turf field.”

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Rec Sports

AUSL’s 2026 host cities unveiled as league achieves national footprint with coast-to-coast reach

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1 hour ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Following a breakout inaugural season that captivated fans nationwide, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), today announced the host cities and venues for its teams beginning with the 2026 season, marking a watershed moment for the league and for professional softball.

With teams spanning six Top 50 U.S. media markets and two of the nation’s leading innovation hubs and fastest-growing cities, the announcement cements AUSL’s transition to a fully city-based league and reflects the widespread resonance of softball across the United States. In addition, AUSL’s national reach allows the league to authentically connect with fans across diverse regions and communities. Collectively, these markets significantly over-index in Millennial and Gen Z populations, women-led and college educated households, and youth sports participation – all audiences that are shaping the future of professional women’s sports fandom.

This milestone builds on a historic inaugural season fueled by sellout crowds, record viewership and social engagement, a strategic investment by Major League Baseball, expansion to six teams, and a multi-year media rights renewal with ESPN.

After evaluating numerous potential markets against a comprehensive set of criteria, each AUSL host city was ultimately selected for its authentic connection to softball, demonstrated support for women’s sports, access to professional-caliber facilities and ability to serve as a long-term home for professional teams. Together, these markets reflect the nationwide resonance of softball and AUSL’s commitment to building a league rooted in community, culture, and competitive excellence.

The six teams and their home venues are:

The Carolinas have produced generations of elite softball talent, and Durham sits at the heart of that tradition. With a strong youth pipeline and a deep appreciation for high-level competition, the region offers an ideal home for the Blaze.

Duke University Softball Stadium provides a premier venue where the Blaze can connect with fans who value the growth and development of women’s sports. With former Duke standouts Ana Gold and Jala Wright on the roster, the Blaze reflect the pride and passion of Carolina softball.

Chicago is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable softball markets in the country, and the birthplace of the sport itself. The return of the Bandits brand represents both a homecoming and a new chapter, blending deep regional roots with the future of professional softball.

Rosemont has served as the home of Athletes Unlimited Softball since its 2020 inception and offers an outstanding, centrally located venue for Midwest fans. Chicago is the ideal market to build the next era of professional softball, honoring tradition while pushing the sport forward.

Oklahoma stands as one of the most influential softball markets in the world, with a rich culture spanning youth, collegiate, and national levels. As the home of USA Softball and the Softball Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City represents the heart of the sport.

The University of Oklahoma’s storied softball history and the city’s growing appetite for women’s professional sports make Oklahoma City a cornerstone market for AUSL. Announced as the league’s first city and joining in late 2025, the Spark deepen AUSL’s central U.S. footprint while connecting with a passionate fan base. The return of hometown favorites Kinzie Hansen, Haley Lee and Sydney Romero further strengthens that bond.

The Pacific Northwest has consistently led the way in supporting women’s sports, and Portland stands as the epicenter of that movement. The city offers a community that embraces innovation, inclusion, and high-level competition—making it a natural fit for AUSL and its athletes.

With a passionate fan base and a strong softball culture, the Cascade will thrive in a region where women’s sports are celebrated year-round. The presence of Pacific Northwest standouts Sis Bates and Paige Sinicki further deepens the connection between the team and its fans.

Texas is synonymous with softball excellence at every level, and the Volts’ home reflects that legacy. Strong fan support during AUSL games last summer confirmed the region’s appetite for elite professional softball, while the fast-growing women’s sports community provides a powerful platform for long-term growth.

Dell Diamond offers a world-class venue and fan experience, and AUSL is proud to partner with Reid Ryan and his team to establish a premier destination for the Volts. With Texas legends including GM Cat Osterman, Head Coach Ricci Woodard and recent Longhorn standout Mia Scott, the Volts are anchored in a region that lives and breathes the sport.

Salt Lake City has emerged as a dynamic sports market with a strong youth softball foundation and growing enthusiasm for women’s professional sports. Following sellout crowds during last season’s series, the Talons return as the reigning AUSL champions, bringing momentum and excitement to the Mountain West.

The University of Utah provides an exceptional setting for the Talons and for league expansion in the region. Led by hometown hero Hannah Flippen, the Talons are deeply connected to the community they represent.

“These host cities represent the next major chapter of the AUSL’s growth,” said Kim Ng, Commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. “We are building on the momentum of an historic inaugural season by establishing franchises in markets with strong softball traditions, proven fan engagement, and the infrastructure to support a world-class professional experience. This is about creating lasting connections between our athletes, our teams, and the communities they represent, and setting up the sport of softball for long-term success at the professional level.”

The 2026 AUSL regular season will begin June 9 with an Opening Day featuring all 6 teams – the Utah Talons hosting the Chicago Bandits, the Carolina Blaze hosting the Portland Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark hosting the Texas Volts. The full 2026 schedule can be found below. At www.theAUSL.com, fans can become Founding Season Ticket Members for any of the six teams beginning today at 12:00pm ET*.* Group tickets for all games are also available. Single game tickets will be available at a later date.

The AUSL playoff format will expand to include a play-in game between the second- and third-ranked teams, with the top performing team earning a bye into the best-of-three AUSL Championship. The AUSL Championship and play-in game will take place at a neutral site, to be announced at a later date. Following the AUSL Championship, a select group of players will be chosen to compete in the AUSL All-Star Cup, a high-stakes showdown held in Rosemont to crown the ultimate individual softball champion utilizing the innovative Athletes Unlimited format.

Earlier this offseason, AUSL announced a veteran leadership group of General Managers and Head Coaches across its six teams, a collective that brings six Olympic medals, 17 NCAA championships as players and coaches, and 17 NCAA All-American honors to the league. The league’s original teams — the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts — will be joined by expansion teams OKC Spark and Portland Cascade, forming a six-team league that will compete beginning in 2026.

Last month, AUSL also completed its 2026 player acquisition process with a two-part Draft that aired live on ESPNU. The Draft opened with an Expansion Draft, allowing the OKC Spark and Portland Cascade to establish their rosters, followed by an Allocation Draft in which all six teams selected from a wider pool of professional athletes. In the spring, remaining roster spots will be filled through the AUSL College Draft, with selected NCAA athletes receiving Golden Tickets to join the league.

Earlier this offseason, Athletes Unlimited and ESPN announced a multi-year media rights extension that will make ESPN an official broadcast partner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League beginning in 2026. Under the three-year agreement, ESPN will carry 50 exclusive AUSL games annually, including 47 regular season contests and the best-of-three AUSL Championship Series. Coverage will span ESPN platforms and include a marquee game on ABC — marking the first time professional softball will air on broadcast television in the United States.

On May 29, 2025, MLB announced a strategic investment in the AUSL, marking a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive partnership with a women’s professional sports league to help establish and grow the AUSL as a sustainable organization. As a part of MLB’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels, MLB will work collaboratively

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