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Pace | Culture > News

One Small Step for Sports, One Giant Leap For Womankind: Naomi Girma Becomes the First Ever Million Dollar Player in Women’s Soccer

Cassidy Burry Student Contributor, Pace University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Olympic star and United States defender Naomi Girma just became the first ever million dollar soccer player. In late January, Girma said goodbye to San Diego Wave and joined Chelsea Women Football Club in England. The 24-year-old California native has spent the past two years on San Diego Wave after being their first overall draft pick in 2022. 

Girma stood in front of Chelsea’s fans at the game against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the Women’s Super League (WSL), and announced her decision to join the club. The £900,000 (1.1 million dollars) transfer fee surpassed the previous record of $788,000. The Bay FC paid the Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji that record breaking amount when she was signed from Madrid CFF. 

Before signing, Girma was gaining interest from Chelsea’s rivals, Arsenal and French club Lyon. Upon signing her four-and-a-half-year deal with Chelsea, Girma said, “There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here – the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players. It’s a top environment to learn and grow in.” 

 The previous coach of Chelsea and current head coach for the United States National Soccer team, Emma Hayes, called Girma, “…the best defender I’ve ever seen…I’ve never seen a player as good as her at the back. She’s got everything, poise, composure, she can defend, she anticipates, she leads. [She’s] unbelievable.” 

Girma’s career started out as a Stanford Cardinal. She had an epic first season with them, playing all but one game. Girma became team captain and played in all 25 games her sophomore year. She led Stanford to win the national championship in 2019. Sadly, her entire junior year was interrupted by COVID-19, and an ACL tear injury caused her to not be able to play. Luckily, she made a swift recovery and started every game her senior year. 

During her rookie season with San Diego Wave, Girma was named 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Best XI Second Team and 2022 NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year. She was also nominated for NWSL’s most valuable player, but lost to Portland Thorns FC striker Sophia Smith. In 2023, she was once again named NWSL Defender of the Year. Grima was additionally nominated for the Best FIFA Women’s Player Award in 2024 and was named in The Best FIFA Women’s XI. 

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Grima played every minute of the game and helped secure the team gold. Similarly, she was a standout player in the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Girma said that she dedicated the 2023 World Cup to former Stanford goalie, teammate, and best friend Katie Meyer after her shocking death.  Due to another injury, Girma missed the start of Chelsea’s season and played her debut game on March 2 against Brighton & Hove Albion. The game ended 2-2, with Girma playing only the first 56 minutes before being substituted due to injury. Fans of Chelsea and her former Wave fans all can’t wait to see her continue to thrive as she reps the “Chelsea blue,” continuing to add to her already impressive curriculum vitae.

Cassidy Burry

Pace '27

Cassidy Burry is the treasurer of Her Campus and currently in her senior year at Pace University, where she is completing a double major in communications & media studies and peace & justice studies, along with a minor in digital storytelling and journalism. She has been an active member of Her Campus Pace for four years. Her passion for pursuing journalism stems from a lifelong fascination with magazines, with Vogue serving as a major source of inspiration.

Her past advocacy work included writing articles for SisterLove, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that is the first organization in the southeastern United States dedicated to women’s HIV, sexual, and reproductive justice. Cassidy feels privileged to have contributed to educating and advocating for reproductive and healthcare rights. Additionally, she completed an internship with Freedom Agenda, a nonprofit based within the Urban Justice Center. The organization spearheaded the campaign to close Rikers Island and continues to lead advocacy efforts for the rights of incarcerated individuals.

Outside of her academic and advocacy endeavors, Cassidy manages a local bakery in the heart of the Theatre District. She has an expansive appreciation for music across all genres and was named after the Grateful Dead song “Cassidy,” a namesake that has fostered meaningful connections throughout her life. She spends much of her free time listening and discovering new music. Having played competitive soccer for most of her childhood, she eagerly awaits the Women’s World Cup every four years. She is always hoping for greater recognition and equality for women in sports, and every year seems to bring more promise.