President Joe Biden on Monday celebrated Gotham FC’s 2023 championship season, marking the first time a title-winning team from the National Women’s Soccer League has been invited to the White House for such an occasion.
“For the first time, for the first time in National Women’s Soccer League history, welcome to the White House to the 2023 champions, Gotham FC," Biden said, pumping his fist as he opened his remarks on Monday in the East Room.
The president went on to laud the increased attention on the league and women’s sports in general, echoing a line he used when last season’s WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball championship teams visited the White House earlier this year.
“What’s really important is your championship win also set an attendance record,” Biden said. “I think it's fair to say, everyone watches women’s sports.”
NJ/NY Gotham FC defeated Seattle Reign FC, then OL Reign and its star Megan Rapinoe 2-1 last November to take the NWSL 2023 title, marking the team’s first championship win in the league. The game drew 25,011 fans to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, cementing an attendance record in the league’s 11-year history. Attendance in general last season was up 26% from the previous year.
As of half way through the 2024 season, the NWSL said overall attendance increased 42% year-over-year and the league set a record with 35,038 fans attending a matchup between Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC.
The president on Monday noted the team’s leadership in sports medicine and healthcare focused on women, mentioning that his wife, first lady Jill Biden is heading efforts to boost research on women’s health in his administration. The first lady joined Biden’s Cabinet meeting at this White House last week to give an update on such efforts.
Biden also took the opportunity to promote his vice president, Kamala Harris, as she seeks to win the White House in November over former President Donald Trump.
“I mean this sincerely, a woman can do anything a man can do, anything a man can do,” Biden said, “including being president of the United States.”
Speaking after Biden, Gotham FC star Ali Krieger, who retired at the end of last season, said the team is “deeply honored” to be the first NWSL team to visit the White House after a championship win, calling it a “pivotal moment” in women’s sports. At the same time, while noting the increase in recognition and viewership, Krieger said the work is far from over.
“Being the first is historic but it’s even more important that we ensure we are not the last,” Krieger said.
Biden, when turning the podium over to Krieger, pointed out he watched her help lead the U.S. to victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 when he was vice president.
The team’s trip to the White House also came one day after Gotham FC secured a spot in this year’s playoffs with a 1-0 win over the Utah Royals on Sunday.
Sky Blue FC, which became Gotham FC, was invited to the White House by then-President Barack Obama in 2010 to celebrate its victory in Women’s Professional Soccer before the launch of NWSL.