Mak Whitham: The teenager who eats footballing records for breakfast

Mckenna “Mak” Whitham broke records when she became the youngest ever player to sign a professional contract in the NWSL, just one day shy of her 14th birthday in 2024. Five months before she penned that deal, she became the youngest athlete to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract with Nike. What is there to know about the teenager who has been breaking records since before she even started high school?

Her first professional goal

Whitham scored for Gotham FC months before she even signed a professional contract. In the 2024 pre-season, she was invited to train with Gotham FC. The entire preseason roster traveled to Colombia to take part in a preseason friendly tournament. Whitham came into the game as a substitute in Gotham’s semi-final matchup against Deportivo Cali when the game was tied 0-0 and ended up netting the game winner that sent the club to the finals. 

“It’s just been spectacular,” she remarked after the game, speaking on her experience training with Gotham. “I’ve always kind of been playing up at a high level, so I’ve just been motivated to be the best and just give 100% effort. Just because they’re older, it doesn’t scare me.”

Speaking on the decision to invite Whitham to train with Gotham FC, General Manager Yael Averbuch West explained that, “Mak is a name that had been on our radar and brought up to us previously. Approaching preseason, we recognized that we had the opportunity for players who are not currently on contract with our team to come in with our group so that we could see them in our environment.”

Clearly, Whitham impressed the club’s coaching staff, earning a permanent deal just months later.

The road to her first professional contract

After training with Gotham FC in the 2024 pre-season, Mak Whitham continued on as a training player in the beginning of the 2024 regular season. Despite her young age, Averbuch West was confident in her abilities. 

“We would never bring a player into our environment who isn’t ready, mentally and physically, to train like every other player here,” she emphasized. “Mak has not just fit right in, but has been a great contributor to the group. [She has] consistency in terms of her technical execution under pressure, tactical understanding, and she has some really amazing physical talents that make her an exciting prospect. So we feel like she has the full picture, in addition to a really good mindset.”

Whitham herself has stayed focused and confident. “I have the thought and the mindset to just be the best and try amazing things and break all the records and goals. I’ve always just wanted that.”

A professional contract was always the goal for Whitham, who has always wanted to skip high school and college football in favor of going pro. “I’ve always wanted to go pro,” she mentioned. “And getting that goal (against Deportivo Cali) was nice to know that I can hang in there and just be around those professional players.”

Whitham’s dream came true on July 26, 2024, a day before her 14th birthday. Gotham FC announced that they had signed the young forward to a four-year contract effective January 1, 2025 via the league’s U18 Entry Mechanism. In addition, she signed a short-term deal that allowed her to debut for Gotham two days later. When she came off the bench in an NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup group stage match, she became the youngest player in top-division American soccer history. 

Whitham also has extensive experience at the international level, playing for youth national teams since she was only 13 years old. In the 2026 U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, she netted five goals, ranking second on her national team’s golden boot race.

Life as a professional football player

After breaking multiple records before she even turned 14, Mak Whitham made her NWSL regular-season debut on March 15, 2025 when she came on as a substitute in stoppage time for teammate Esther González. This made her the youngest player in league history, breaking yet another record. 

She continued to make late-game appearances off the bench throughout the season, until she made her first professional start in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup group stage match against Alianza Women.

Life as a young pro hasn’t been all easy for the forward. The NWSL’s U-18 Entry Mechanism has rules in place to keep these vulnerable players safe, including requiring the players to live with a parent or guardian and for them to use separate showers and locker rooms. This has been a little isolating for the teen, who noted that, “I’m playing with 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds, and building the relationships has been a bit difficult.”

Still, Whitham has made sure to take advantage of the resources at her disposal. In her first year as a professional football player, she leaned on mentors such as former Gotham midfielder Nealy Martin to ask questions to. In the almost two years that she’s been with the club, she’s been able to learn from experienced forwards like Esther González, Rose Lavelle, Guro Reiten, Midge Purce, Geyse, and now even Sam Kerr.

Just a teenager

Outside of being a professional footballer, Mak Whitham is just a regular teenager. She likes to hang out with her younger sister, draw, do puzzles, watch TV, and hang out with her dog. Despite achieving something that very few teenagers do, she still stays humble and down to earth. 

As she continues to grow in her football career and hone her talent under the very capable Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, Whitham has a very bright future ahead of her.