The NWSL may be heading towards a showdown with players after the host team teased the addition of fans for future Challenge Cup matches

• The National Women's Soccer League was the first American professional contact sports league to return since the coronavirus pandemic began when the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup kicked off June 27.
• The world's premier women's soccer league has been playing in a "bubble" in Utah and has not welcomed fans to any games thus far.
• An email from the Utah Royals — the club hosting the tournament — offered season ticket holders "the first opportunity to purchase tickets" in the event that fans are welcome at the semifinals and finals.
• The NWSL has insisted that its "current protocols call for no fan participation in-person" but the league will "continuously review those plans."
• NWSL Players Association Executive Director Brooke Elby told Insider that introducing fans "just doesn't make sense" and that "those plans are staying the way that they were written at the beginning of this tournament."

The National Women's Soccer League was the first American professional contact sports league to return to action since the coronavirus pandemic began, and, for a moment, it appeared as though it could be one of the first to welcome fans back into the fold in-person as well.

But according to NWSL Players Association Executive Director Brooke Elby, the NWSLPA has "thoroughly" discussed with the league its intention of "sticking to protocols that have been put in place."

"And that means no fans," Elby told Insider.

The world's premier women's soccer league has been playing in a "bubble" in Utah since the last weekend in June and has not welcomed fans to any of its NWSL Challenge Cup contests at Zions Bank Stadium thus far. Through 10 games and over a week in isolation, not a single player, coach, or staff member has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Still, Real Salt Lake — the club overseeing the MLS team of the same name plus USL's Real Monarchs and the NWSL's Utah Royals, who are hosting the Challenge Cup — has been publicly toying with the idea of inviting fans to participate in the final rounds of the tournament in person.

When the league first announced its plans for the Challenge Cup back in June, Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen told The Salt Lake Tribune's Alex Vejar that he "would like to add that energy and invite fans into the stadium because we think that's the second part that's really important." He added that the prospect of fan inclusion had not yet been broached with NWSL players because "they've got enough fears to get over."

Once players arrived in Utah, it appeared as though the idea of welcoming fans to witness games in person had been laid to rest. The NWSLPA leadership was certainly under that impression.

"I'm going to say there was never the 100% definite no," Elby said regarding the state of plans to have fans present at the tournament upon players' arrival in Utah. "But it was always pretty known that it was going to be a no if that makes sense."

Less than a week into the Cup, however, the idea of including fans in person at the Challenge Cup resurfaced

On July 2, Vejar reported for The Salt Lake Tribune that Real Salt Lake would be welcoming "as many as 5,300" fans to Rio Tinto Stadium for the Real Monarchs' match on July 11. At the time, a team spokesperson for the Utah Royals told Vejar the club was "hopeful" that the final rounds of the Challenge Cup — which are slated to kick off at the same venue roughly two weeks later — will be played in front of fans.

Elby insisted that in-person fan participation at the Real Monarchs game "is totally separate from" the NWSL's plans.

"If the USL ends up having fans, that is their ownership's decision," she added. "For our league, I think we're all on the same page here."

But the next morning, Real Salt Lake had sent an email to fans about its "RSL Family Season Member Rollover Plan." In the message, the club offered "the first opportunity to purchase tickets to our season ticket members" in the event they are able to welcome fans to Rio Tinto Stadium for the semifinals and finals of the NWSL Challenge Cup.

And as of Monday afternoon, a representative from Real Salt Lake's ticket office confirmed that season ticket holders "have an opportunity to select that option to be involved with the presale for those games if [the club] is granted the opportunity to host fans for those three games."

But a club spokesperson told Insider via email that nothing had changed as of Monday evening.

"There are currently no plans for fans to attend the NWSL Challenge Cup at any point," RSL Senior Manager of Communications Taran Meyer wrote. "NWSL, NWSLPA, and USWNT PA have all been in contact with applicable parties regarding these discussions."

Players would not be on board with a change to the NWSL Challenge Cup plans that involves in-person fan participation

When asked if a decision to change the current tournament protocols would bode well with players, Elby responded with an unequivocal "no."

"We've been in constant communication with our players, and we've also been in constant communication with the league that this just doesn't make sense at the time," Elby added. "We've written these protocols, the medical task force has written these protocols — there's no need to change. I think players feel the same way and we want to represent that feeling, but I also feel like the league is on the same page about that as well."

NWSL Director of Communications Kirsten Brierley confirmed to Insider via email on Thursday that there still had been "no changes in our plans at this time" but did not shut down the prospect of welcoming fans in person down the line.

"Our current protocols call for no fan participation in-person," Brierley wrote. "In partnership with the players associations, we continuously review those plans and will make any decisions going forward with the health and safety of NWSL players, officials, and staff as the number one priority."

Even so, Elby expressed confidence that the NWSL Challenge Cup would finish the same way it started: sans fans.

"We are working collaboratively with the league and there is no plan to change these protocols," Elby said. "Whatever any league is planning on doing does not directly reflect anything the NWSL is, as the same with anything any clubs are saying."

"I want people to understand that the league has been conversing with us and with the players and that those plans are staying the way that they were written at the beginning of this tournament," she added.

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