Houston Dash fire goalkeeping coach Matt Lampson for violating anti-fraternization policy

Jun 12, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Dash goalkeeper coach Matt Lampson enters the pitch prior to the start of the second half against the Portland Thorns FC in a NWSL match at PNC Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 21, 2024

Houston Dash goalkeeping coach Matthew Lampson has been dismissed by the team for violation of NWSL’s anti-fraternization policy and coach code of conduct, the league said in a statement on Thursday.

The league has also suspended Lampson from future employment in the league for the rest of the 2024 season as a result of the violations and also what the league called a “lack of full cooperation” in the investigation.

The statement says that Lampson was fired on March 18 following an investigation that “examined third-party reports of Lampson crossing professional boundaries with a Dash player,” adding that the results found him to be in violation of regulations that “require coaches to maintain strict adherence to professional boundaries.”

The investigator, an attorney hired jointly by the Dash and the league, “did not find a violation of the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy which is focused on preventing abusive, discriminatory, or harassing behavior,” the league said.

On Wednesday, The Equalizer first reported that Lampson was fired due to an inappropriate relationship.

Lampson joined the Dash in May 2022 and signed a new contract with the club in January 2023. He was still working for the Dash as of the 2024 NWSL draft, which Equalizer reported he attended on Jan. 12.

What is NWSL’s policy on coach conduct?

As part of the league’s reforms following the allegations of sexual coercion against Paul Riley, the NWSL established policies against workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

Under Section II, Definitions and Examples of Prohibited Conduct, coach-player relationships are prohibited based on the power imbalance between the two parties, as a coach has supervisory authority over a player. Assistant coaches are included under the umbrella of “coach.” There is an exception for pre-existing intimate relationships that occurred before the parties became coach and player, such as “a relationship between two spouses or committed partners that preceded the sport relationship.”

(Photo: Maria Lysaker/USA TODAY Sports)

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Steph Yang is a staff writer for The Athletic covering women’s soccer in the United States. Before joining The Athletic, she was a managing editor at All for XI and Stars & Stripes FC and a staff writer for The Bent Musket, as well as doing freelance work for other soccer sites. She has covered women’s soccer for over seven years and is based out of Boston, Mass.