President Joe Biden welcomed Gotham Football Club to the White House on Monday, making it the first National Women’s Soccer League championship crew to have the distinction.
Biden mirrored on the underdog story the crew, which represents New York and New Jersey, carried via its 2023 season. Gotham's squad went from final in the league to defeating all its naysayers in a single 12 months.
“You never gave up, and you kept the faith, as my mother would say,” Biden stated. “You retool the roster, hired a new coach, something clicked. And after a tough season, you're the final team to make the playoffs. The saying goes, winners simply win.”
He additionally famous that final 12 months's NWSL remaining set a league file with 25,011 followers at the championship recreation at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
“I think it's fair to say everyone — everyone — watches women's sports,” Biden stated.
Biden then welcomed to the stage former nationwide crew star Ali Krieger, who performed with Gotham until she retired last year. He famous that he was the vp the final time he noticed Krieger, who was a part of the 2015 Women's World Cup championship crew.
Krieger spoke on behalf of her teammates, who she stated have been “deeply honored” to be the first in the NWSL to be invited to the White House for such an achievement.
“Reflecting on my career, I recall times when women's soccer lacked coverage and support,” Krieger stated. “Our progress since those days has been remarkable, from our humble beginnings to becoming champions. Both Gotham and the NWSL have seen tremendous growth with more fans, greater engagement and increased recognition.”
The work, nevertheless, is much from over, Krieger added. Every time the gamers contact the area, she stated, they take note the younger women who dream of futures in sports activities.
Though Gotham FC is the first NWSL crew to achieve the White House, it's not the solely girls's soccer crew to have been invited. Two different leagues, now defunct, have been shaped in the U.S. since 2000 — the Women's United Soccer Association and the Women's Professional Soccer league.
President Barack Obama invited Sky Blue FC of the WPS league, which was the New York and New Jersey crew at the time, to the White House in 2010. The league shut down two years later.
The NWSL has been praised for its funding in the sport, rising viewership each in stadiums and thru broadcast partnerships. In June, the NWSL reported that attendance was up 42% 12 months over 12 months by the league’s twelfth season.
Its gamers' union just lately negotiated a brand new collective bargaining settlement that gave athletes extra management over the place they play, eradicated the draft and gave free company to all gamers. The contract additionally doubles the league’s minimal wage whereas increasing parental depart and youngster care advantages for gamers.
“This moment is not just about titles or trophies; it’s about paving the way for them. Being the first is historic, but it’s even more important that we ensure we are not the last,” Krieger stated.
