We, the undersigned, are calling on FIFA to modify the venues for the women's 2015 World Cup games to fields with natural grass.

----2015 UPDATE---

In an interview with Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach broke news that FIFA leaders assured her that the Women's World Cup would never again be played on turf. She said, “[Valcke] assured us that the Women’s World Cup would never be played on turf again. He gave me his word, which for me, that’s a win. For me, that’s progress.”

Original text:

In 2012, the Women’s Gold Medal soccer match for the London Olympics was the NBC Sports Network’s most watched event in the network's history with 4.35 million viewers. More people around the world livestreamed the women's final than any other sporting event during the Olympics.

And yet, still, professional women soccer players struggle to be given the respect they deserve. The latest insult to professional women soccer players comes with the decision by FIFA to hold the entire 2015 Women's World Cup tournament on artificial turf.

When Abby Wambach -- the 2012 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year -- heard of this news, she noted, "The men would strike playing on artificial turf." And Wambach, who is known for her physical style of play, should be especially worried. The American Academy of Neurology recently reported that concussions appear to be more prevalent for certain athletes playing on artificial turf, and that women athletes appear more likely to experience concussions in soccer than in other sports.

Artificial turf has been blamed for increased injuries on sporting fields, including more sprained ankles, concussions, turf burns, and an injury known as "turf toe." Overheating is also a health concern for athletes since temperatures can be hotter on artificial surfaces than on natural grass. Finally, turf is widely known to alter the speed and quality of play on the field. With all of this in mind, it's not hard to understand why many players feel that being forced to play their World Cup on artificial turf is gender discrimination.

I'm a huge fan of women's soccer. I love going to Washington Spirit games -- where the team plays on natural grass -- and I'm excited to attend the upcoming CONCACAF qualifiers for the Women's World Cup. These women deserve respect for their athleticism and that's why I'm standing up with professional players from national teams around the world who have spoken out and signed on to this campaign as well.

Some of the best soccer players in the world deserve to play the most competitive matches of their lives on real grass. FIFA has the power to modify the venues for the World Cup games to fields with real grass. Do the right thing, FIFA, and give professional women soccer players the respect they deserve.

----Signatures from Players----

More than 70 national team players from at least 17 different national teams have signed this petition to FIFA calling for natural grass in the 2015 Women's World Cup. Below is a list of professional players who've added their name to this public petition:

Abby Wambach - USA

Heather O'Reilly - USA

Carli Lloyd - USA

Shannon Boxx - USA

Ali Krieger - USA

Alex Morgan - USA

Whitney Engen - USA

Ashlyn Harris - USA

Christie Rampone - USA

安藤 梢 (Kozue Ando) - JPN

大儀見 優季 (Yūki Ōgimi) - JPN

Anja Mittag - GER

Nadine Angerer - GER

Annike Krahn - GER

Célia Okoyino da Mbabi - GER

Kim Kulig - GER

Almuth Schult - GER

Laura Benkarth - GER

Melanie Behringer - GER

Nadine Keßler - GER

Lena Goeßling - GER

Alexandra Popp - GER

Babbett Peter - GER

Melissa Barbieri - AUS

Sam Kerr - AUS

Caitlin Foord - AUS

Natalia Gaitan - COL

Melissa Ortiz - COL

Nataly Arias - COL

Stefany Castaño - COL

Eugénie Le Sommer - FRA

Camille Abily - FRA

Wendie Renard - FRA

Sarah Bouhaddi - FRA

Élise Bussaglia - FRA

Louisa Nécib - FRA

Caroline Seger - SWE

Lotta Schelin - SWE

Kosavare Asllani - SWE

Olivia Schough - SWE

Sara Thunebro - SWE

Malin Levenstad - SWE

Sofia Lundgren - SWE

Emma Berglund - SWE

Charlotte Rohlin - SWE

Hedvig Lindahl - SWE

Nilla Fischer - SWE

Annica Svensson - SWE

Therese Sjoran - SWE

Caroline Jönsson - SWE

Anita Asante - ENG

Faye White - ENG

Nora Holstad - NOR

Ingvild Isaken - NOR

Maren Mjelde - NOR

Arianna Romero - MEX

Theresa 'Lupita' Worbis - MEX

Jackie Acevedo - MEX

Renae Cuéllar - MEX

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević - SUI

Noëlle Maritz - SUI

Vanessa Bernauer - SUI

Sandra Betschart - SUI

Martina Moser - SUI

Rahel Kiwic - SUI

Fabienne Humm - SUI

Shannon Smyth - IRL

Ciara Grant (b. 1993) - IRL

Veronica Boquete - ESP

Erin Nayler - NZF

Stefanía Maggiolini - URY

Desire Oparanozie - NGA

Indira Ilić - SRB

Getter Laar - EST

Michelle Akers - USA (Retired)

Linda Hamilton - USA (Retired)

Sandra Smisek - GER (Retired)