Stella Spitzer youngest pro in Gainbridge Super League

CAROLINA ASCENT

Carolina Ascent forward Stella Spitzer, 15, signed a multi-year deal with the Gainbridge Super League, making her the youngest professional in league history. Spitzer played her first game with Ascent in 2024 at 14 years, 198 years.

The youngest player to appear in a professional women’s soccer match has a contract to match.

Stella Spitzer, 15, signed a multi-year deal with Carolina Ascent FC pending league and federation approval, making her the youngest player to sign a professional contract in Gainbridge Super League history. Spitzer became the youngest player to appear in a professional match in the United States when she came on as a substitute for Carolina on Oct. 19, 2024 against Brooklyn FC at 14 years, 198 days old.

"Having the opportunity and the right people behind me to be able to sign this contract is honestly a dream come true,” Spitzer said in a statement. “This is not just about me, but it's also about inspiring the next generation and showing everyone aspiring to be professional soccer players that it is a realistic goal worth chasing. I am so excited to see what the future holds for this team."

Spitzer, who joined Carolina on an academy contract in June 2024, joins B Hylton as Ascent players to sign professional deals as development players. Hylton signed in June.

"This signing has been a long time coming," Ascent coach Philip Poole said. "Stella did exceptionally well in our environment last year and taking the next natural step to signing as a full professional makes sense for everyone involved. Watching Stella make her debut and the amount of growth we’ve seen in the last 12 months makes this decision easy for us."

The Ascent are banking that the process of developing talent like Spitzer will pay dividends in the future.

"As Stella takes the next step in her career - we are aware that the development of young players takes time and will undoubtedly have its ups and downs," Poole said. "We’ve got so much belief in Stella and the impact she can have on the future here in Carolina."

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