Soccer: Girls’ close-cropped hair leads to taunts and questions

Despite their age, the three young girls have heard it all. They’ve been called boys when they show up at the soccer field. They’ve been heckled and ridiculed, with even referees questioning what they’re doing on a girls’ soccer team. It’s because of their hair. The three girls, who play on a Madison, Wis., under-11 club team called the 56ers, prefer to wear their hair cropped close, in a manner that used to be described as “boyishly short.” They do it for reasons that have evolved as they’ve grown: a hero, whether it’s Ellen DeGeneres or Abby Wambach, wears it that way; or it’s just convenient.

And, lately, it’s because of a young Nebraska girl whose short hair put her at the forefront of a debate over gender and sports. The team for which Milagros (Mili) Hernandez plays was disqualified from a girls’ tournament because officials did not believe she was a girl, despite proof supplied by her father. Her team- mates cut their hair in solidarity and she even drew the attention of Mia Hamm and Wambach, who tweeted, “Mili, don’t EVER let anyone tell you that you aren’t perfect just as you are. I won championships with short hair.”

Hernandez’s disqualification was, officials said, linked to a typo about her gender on the roster and to a rules violation over player swapping.

Whatever the reason, it “made her cry,” her father said. The Nebraska Soccer Association apologized in a statement on Facebook.

“We believe that this needs to be a learning moment for everyone involved with soccer in our state,” it said, “and are working directly with our clubs and tournament officials to ensure that this does not happen again.”

And if it does happen? Molly Duffy, the team’s coach, and the kids’ parents decided it would be best to confront the situation head-on, by presenting the girls’ playing cards to parents, coaches and referees before every game.