NYC Footy: Managing Meeting Gender Requirements for Free Agent Teams

At NYC Footy, we have very intentionally focused on fostering and building a vibrant and inclusive soccer community by offering leagues that are and always have been mixed gender.

A meaningful part of our community, season in and season out, is made up of individuals and small groups that go on to join teams of total strangers for the joy of the beautiful game. Our mixed gender format is designed to create an environment where everyone can play, compete, and build connections. 

As we continue to grow, we are committed to maintaining the integrity of our league while addressing challenges related to gender balance within teams. As organizers and players, we know that ensuring a balanced gender composition is crucial to providing a positive and enjoyable experience for all participants whilst fulfilling our vision of a competitive but not ridiculous soccer experience for New Yorkers. That is why we have established certain gender minimums for each team, such as having a specified number of female players on the pitch at all times.

However, we recognize that, despite our concerted efforts, assembling teams with sufficient female players can sometimes be a challenge. We want to be transparent about the options available to free agent teams that find themselves in this situation, ensuring that they can navigate the situation with clarity and collaboration.

If registered players made up of individuals and small groups do not, collectively, create appropriately gender balanced free agent teams, and NYC Footy’s additional outreach efforts do not fulfill this need, we have provided the following options for Free Agent Teams without sufficient female players:

• [Ongoing] Female Player Referral Program: NYC Footy has a standing referral program that provides a 50% off discount for any new female player introduced to our community by an existing member. That member, agnostic of gender, will receive $50 in NYC Footy credits per new female player introduced to our community (up to $1,500 in credits).

• Reduced Female Minimum Grace Period: When registering as an individual or part of a small group, NYC Footy groups you with others to form a free agent team. If your team doesn't meet the required gender minimums before the season begins, we will add an "FAx" qualifier to your team name for the first two weeks. This qualifier temporarily reduces the female minimum by one (1) female  for games in divisions where two (2)  or more female players are required. After the initial two weeks, “FAx” teams will be expected to meet the standard female minimum by leveraging the following resources:

• FootyHQ Player Forum: Each free agent team will have an assigned captain who can access our FootyHQ community forum. In this forum, captains can actively recruit female players for the entire season or for individual games.

• Captain's WhatsApp Chat: Captains also have access to the "captain's chat" for their division. This feature allows them to collaborate with other captains and explore the possibility of borrowing female players from other teams..

• Female Recruitment Discount Code: NYC Footy provides a discount code to FAx teams, enabling existing roster players to invite female players to join the league at a reduced rate (usually $20 for a full season).

Beyond these tools, we are heavily motivated to explore partnerships and support from female-focused organizations, student bodies, and other communities to encourage female player participation, which strengthens the diversity of our Footy family and ensures our free agent teams are experiencing NYC Footy as it was intended. 

At NYC Footy, we value the passion and enthusiasm our participants bring to the field. We understand that challenges can arise, and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we collectively work towards strengthening our community and the player experience as a whole.