Joining the Utah Royals wasn\u2019t an easy decision for Madison Hammond, the NWSL trailblazer and defensive midfielder. It took bravery and a type of vulnerability she had never experienced before\u2014a difficult choice that is now paying off in spades. At Utah, she\u2019ll continue everything that has always set her apart: growing as a leader, playing more freely, and being a role model to Native American and Black girls who is never afraid to speak out about what she believes in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hammond signed with the Royals this past offseason as a free agent after four years at Angel City FC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIt was an internal struggle for me to leave LA,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cI love LA, my family\u2019s there, my partner\u2019s there, all the things\u2014and I just really established this sense of community there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But Hammond knew that in order to keep on growing as a player, she had to make a leap of faith\u2014a big decision that ended up sending her from the beaches of Los Angeles to the mountains of Salt Lake City. \u201cWhen I reflected on my time at LA, and who I want to be as a player, it turned into an on-field decision. I needed to put myself in an uncomfortable environment and embrace change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
At the Royals, Hammond, who is now in her seventh NWSL season, is growing into a leader her peers can look up to on and off the field. Her teammates recently voted her into the Royals leadership group after just a few weeks with the team, a result she wasn\u2019t expecting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI want to be someone that people can rely on and depend on, both on and off the field, in a way that feels real,\u201d she said. She tries to mentor younger players in a way that would have been helpful to her when she was first starting out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On the field, Hammond said her goal this season is to play more freely\u2014and to score more goals. Her role on the Royals is as a dynamic defensive midfielder, covering ground and breaking up plays.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI think that I\u2019ve gotten to a point in my career where I just want to take more risks and be more bold,\u201d said Hammond. \u201c[To] know that I\u2019m confident enough in myself, and my teammates are confident enough in me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Throughout her soccer journey, Hammond\u2019s family has always been there to support her. In fact, her mother has attended nearly every single club, college, and professional game she has ever played in. She plans to continue the streak by attending every Royals home game this season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cHaving my family at games has meant the world to me as a pro,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cThere are days you don\u2019t start, there\u2019s days you don\u2019t dress\u2014and to know that your family is still there, that gives you so much power and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hammond is also close to her grandmother, who she bonds with over Yerba Madre, one of Hammond\u2019s sponsors. Hammond said her favorite flavors of the Yerba Madre energy drink are Enlighten Mint and Original.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hammond holds a unique position in the NWSL: she is the first and only Native American player in the league. While that fact once caused \u201ca lot of pressure, and a lot of feelings of doubt,\u201d seven years into her career, now something has shifted\u2014while she\u2019s still the only Native American player in the league, it\u2019s \u201creally just an empowerment factor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cFor so much time to have passed and to still be one of one, it means a lot to me,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cIt means a lot to represent my community and to kind of be the person that has a voice to speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Now that she\u2019s in Utah, Hammond wants to continue being a player that young Native Americans can look up to, something especially important in a community that is under-representated in professional sports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI think here in Utah, there\u2019s a really unique opportunity, because there\u2019s such a huge Native population in the state,\u201d Hammond said. \u201cMy personal goal is to get more Natives to come to the game, and I think that would just open up a lot of opportunities\u2026 for young players that might need somebody that looks like them to just give them a little push.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hammond, who is both Black and Native American, is also active in the Black Women\u2019s Players Collective (BWPC). Both identities are important to her. \u201cIt\u2019s really easy to attach a headline of the first Native American to play in the NWSL, but there\u2019s this whole other side of me as a Black woman that exists very authentically every day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n