Gotham FC Signs 13-Year-Old Mak Whitham
Youngest Player in NWSL History Gets Deal Through 2028

Mak Whitham made soccer news on the day before her 14th birthday. The teen signed a deal with Gotham FC, the reigning soccer champs in the NWSL. Gotham FC signs Mak in a significant move highlighting their commitment to young talent. It has been a month for young soccer players to go pro, as Cavan Sullivan previously signed with the Philadelphia Union of MLS.
Gotham FC has signed U.S. Youth National Team forward McKenna “Mak” Whitham through 2028. The guaranteed contract will be effective beginning January 1, 2025.
GFC has also signed Whitham to a NTRP contract through the current international window making her available for… pic.twitter.com/xBEvJJgCtm
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 26, 2024
“I processed it, and it’s still new to me,” Whitham said about the achievement, in an exclusive interview with ESPN. “But, I mean, I’m not going to be cocky about it. I’m going to stay humble, and I’m still going to keep developing. My goal is to be a top player in the NWSL, and I know that Gotham will help me become that player.”
Whitham’s guaranteed contract runs through 2028 and will become effective on Jan. 1, 2025. Gotham FC signs Mak for a promising future, and she could debut on Sunday as a United States national team replacement player for the game against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
Should she play, it would be a first. She would become the youngest player in a first-division men’s or women’s soccer match in the United States. She would also be younger than any player who has appeared in the NBA, NHL, NFL, WNBA, or MLB since at least 1970, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Already Has NIL Deal with Nike
Whitham is known in more than soccer circles. She already has signed an NIL deal with Nike. That came in February. She was with Gotham FC during its preseason tournament in Colombia.
Whitham scored the winning goal against Deportivo Colombia and her squad went on to win that tournament.
“The on-the-field is the easiest part of this, I think, and the quickest for us to kind of evaluate and know how to support her,” Gotham FC GM Yale Averbuch West told ESPN. “But we’ve undertaken a really robust process in terms of making sure that this is the right thing in her life, socially, mentally and in every possible way.”
NWSL soccer writer Jenna Tonelli pointed out a problem that could come with Whitham’s age.
According to NJ law, 14-year-olds cannot work past 7 pm, although there are “limited exceptions” per the state website. A source close to the situation tells me that the club is doing its necessary due diligence regarding securing a minor work permit to abide by NJ Labor Laws.
Per NJ law:
During the school year, minors under 16 may only work outside of scheduled school hours.
Workers 16 and up may work up to 50 hours in one week and up to 10 hours a day only between the last day of school and Labor Day.
And we can’t forget that in the EURO, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal scored a goal and was integral in Spain’s win. Soccer players are getting younger by the week. Gotham FC signs Mak, adding to the trend of teams investing in young talent.
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