Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Helps Unveil Lower Manhattan’s Newest Historical Marker

12/12/2019
Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Helps Unveil Lower Manhattan’s Newest Historical Marker

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s 2019 FIFA World Cup victory has now permanently marked Lower Manhattan in the form of a granite plaque that resides at the northeast corner of Broadway and Park Place. 

The team’s star midfielder and co-captain Carli Lloyd joined Faye Penn, City Council Member Margaret Chin, executive director of women.nyc, several players and coaches from the New York Soccer Club, and Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, for a ceremony on Tuesday, December 10 to unveil the marker on Broadway, immortalizing the ticker-tape parade that the champions received earlier this year.

This was only the second time in history a team of female athletes received a ticker-tape parade — both accomplishments by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. This ticker-tape parade was held on July 10, 2019, just after the champions returned from France where they defeated the Netherlands, 2-0, in the final. Thousands of shouting fans lined a confettied Broadway to catch glimpses of the soccer stars as they rode a float from Battery Park to City Hall, where Mayor Bill de Blasio gave them symbolic keys to the city. 

At the dedication ceremony, Carli Lloyd — who is the first player to ever score a hat trick in a Women’s World Cup final, a feat she accomplished in 2015 when the USA also won the tournament— remarked on how poignant the wide recognition has been for her, her team and the women’s equality movement. “Winning one World Cup and having one Ticker-tape parade was truly a dream come true, but doing it twice was maybe beyond imagination. I know I speak for the entire team when I say that the parade in New York City this summer was one of the most amazing experiences of our careers and we sincerely appreciate all the people came out to support us and welcome us home. We take our position as role models for girls and boys and men and women very seriously and to have a permanent marker commemorating the parades in the greatest city in the world is something for which we’re all very appreciative,” said Carli Lloyd.

“There is a reason this team captured our imaginations,” Jessica Lappin, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, said. “They inspired us not just because of their magnificent victory on the world stage, but because they stood their ground and fought for equality — on the field and off — which is an essential American value.”  

“I cannot think of a team more deserving to be honored in the Ticker-Tape Parade than the 2019 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team,” U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler said. “Their perseverance, athletic prowess on the field and advocacy off the field in their fight for equal pay made the entire country proud of them. I, again, congratulate them on their exhilarating World Cup victory and join them in celebrating the unveiling of this plaque in Lower Manhattan.”

“I’m thrilled that our city is honoring the incredible achievements of the Women’s National Soccer Team,” U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney said. “These athletes not only dominate on the field, they are incredible role models and changemakers nationwide — notably in their fight for equal pay for equal work. I am so proud to have these incredible women representing our country.”

“This is a history-making celebration for a history-making group of athletes who are inspiring our next generation of young women to even greater heights,” Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said. “These women are not only role models for athletes everywhere, they are role models for women’s equality in every sense of the word.”

“The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team celebrated a historic win with a celebratory parade through New York City this summer, so it is fitting that we memorialize it here in downtown Manhattan,” Assemblymember for the 65th District Yuh-Line Niou said. “The women from the U.S. soccer team fought tirelessly on the field and off to make a stand for gender equality and women’s rights, and advocated for much-needed changes on the soccer field and in daily life — for that we are thankful. Whether in politics or in sports, we need voices to stand up for changes that need to be made within the system, and the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team used their voice to do just that on the global stage. Congratulations again to the team for all their hard work; they will always have a home here in Lower Manhattan.”

“With their record-breaking fourth World Cup win this year, the U.S. Women’s National Team has not only inspired a new generation of young girls in athletics. They boldly spoke truth to power to put an end to gender discrimination in the workplace,” Council Member Margaret S. Chin said. “This historical marker is a testament to their groundbreaking work on behalf of equality, and marks a milestone on the road to dismantling the systemic barriers and cultural stigma that keep women at every sector from realizing their full potential.” 

“With its world-class talent and admirable grit, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has captured the imagination of the entire country,” Faye Penn, executive director of women.nyc, said. “The team’s epic victory last summer also sparked a national dialogue on how female athletes often don’t get the recognition or pay they deserve. This new plaque off the Ticker-Tape Parade is an important step in recognizing the accomplishments of women in sports and inspiring the next generation of athletes in this city and beyond.”

“This new historic marker will have genuine impact on current and future generations,” Anthony Notaro, Jr., chairperson of Manhattan’s Community Board 1, said. “The marker recognizes an accomplishment that everyone can relish and aspire to. Community Board 1 is proud to have this commemoration within our district.”