Naomi Girma. If you’ve already stopped reading to search her up on google, you’ll most likely find her low on the search engine of the many famed Naomi’s out there. This is shocking seeing how she’s changing the future for women’s soccer and their transfer fees. She showed up on our screens this past summer at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She dazzled us by slide-tackling speedy offenders down the field and blocking fast-paced balls from the goal. Some even reference her as being one of women’s soccer’s best defenders at the young age of 24. Now she is setting the record as the highest paid transfer in women’s soccer as she completes her move from San Diego Wave Fútbol Club to Chelsea F.C. under a $1.1 million fee.
Her Backstory
Growing up, Naomi lived with her parents who immigrated from Ethiopia and raised Naomi and her brother in San Jose, California. As a kid, Naomi remembers her dad loving soccer and how he hoped to pass that love on to his two children. Naomi was introduced to soccer through the Ethiopian community and began playing with the Maleda Soccer Youth Club at a young age. She moved from a couple clubs through her youth and played for her high school team while getting acquainted with the U.S. soccer system. In her sophomore year of high school, she then committed to play for the Stanford University Cardinals where she would achieve success as their star defender and occasional midfielder. Naomi was the first overall pick for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft and has been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2022. Naomi credits her motivation to the Ethiopian community from The Bay and as she continues her career, she holds on to the fulfillment of playing for a community bigger than herself.
Her Professional Career
Since being selected from San Diego Wave FC, in her rookie year Naomi became first in league history to secure both 2022 NWSL Rookie and Defender of the Year honors. In the 2023 season, Girma earned the award again as well as NWSL Best XI First Team due to her completion of 948 passes and 88.68% accuracy rate.
Having achieved her dream of playing in Europe, soccer lovers and Naomi’s growing fan base can’t wait to see her flourish with Chelsea. The transaction was settled on January 26th in an announcement made by San Deigo Wave congratulating Girma. Although her contract with the club was not up until 2026, the transfer went ahead anyway and is the reason for the fee. The deal surpassed the prior record of €735,000 from Bay FC for the Zambia forward Rachel Kundananji. Naomi says she’s looking forward to working with the staff and players and recognizes Chelsea for its culture and winning mentality.
Although women’s soccer continues to grow in popularity, the reason men still out-earn them is because their larger audience. Nevertheless, continuing to share stories such as Naomi’s let’s not forget the USWNT’s momentous win in equalizing pay for both the women’s and the men’s team after years of legal action. These stories and the many more are a true testament to what incredible strengths we as women hold and they should never be restrained.
Also! I don’t know what you’ve heard but I do happen to know that we have a spectacular line up of women’s sports teams her at UVA and just like Naomi Girma, they all play for a community (that community being us) so let’s support them and their amazing endeavors.