- Nominees are selected by each of league’s 12 teams, with the winner voted on by Players Association
- Ally Award recognizes leadership and character of unsung players
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 26, 2022 – As the first official partner of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA), Ally today announced individual nominations for the inaugural Ally Award. This award recognizes the athlete that embodies the idea of “teammate,” supporting and motivating rookies and veterans alike. The 12 nominees portray the character and leadership that have helped elevate the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) globally. While existing honors have recognized goal scorers, top rookies and other highlight reel players, this award seeks to celebrate the too often unheralded aspects of sport.
“Our core belief is that everyone deserves an ally, and the inaugural nominees for this award display that ethos every day with their relentless preparation, inspiring play and indomitable spirit,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally. “We’re honored not only to work directly with the Players Association to create this award, but also to recognize the achievements of such outstanding athletes. We look forward to seeing this award continue to support the players.”
Part of that support includes a monetary prize, with the winner taking home $10,000. Second- and third-place finishers in the voting will each receive $7,500. NWSL teams were given selection criteria last month, with nominees selected by each over the last few weeks as the league approaches midseason.
“The Ally Award goes far beyond the typical quantifiable values such as goals, assists or saves,” said Meghann Burke, executive director of the NWSL Players Association. “The best teammates don’t always have the chance to fill up the stat sheet, but their passion, drive and determination energizes the entire squad. These nominees represent the best of what our players have to offer, and we’re grateful for Ally’s continued support.”
The Ally Award nominees are: Ali Riley (Angel City); Zoe Morse (Chicago Red Stars); McCall Zerboni (Gotham FC); Jane Campbell (Houston Dash); Desiree Scott (Kansas City Current); Meredith Speck (North Carolina Courage); Lauren Barnes (OL Reign); Erin McLeod (Orlando Pride); Abby Smith (Portland Thorns); Nadia Nadim (Racing Louisville); Jodie Taylor (San Diego Wave); Anna Heilferty (Washington Spirit).
The Players Association will vote on the winner in September ahead of the postseason, with the winner and finalists being announced ahead of the NWSL Championship game in October.
About Ally Financial
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a digital financial services company committed to its promise to "Do It Right" for its consumer, commercial and corporate customers. Ally is composed of an industry-leading independent auto finance and insurance operation, an award-winning digital direct bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, which offers mortgage lending, point-of-sale personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products), a consumer credit card business, a corporate finance business for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. Our brand conviction is that we are all better off with an ally, and our focus is on helping our customers achieve their strongest financial well-being, a notion personalized to what is important to them. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.
About NWSLPA
The NWSL Players Association is the labor union that represents Players in the National Women's Soccer League. It was founded in May of 2017 and represents all Players who are employed by and sign Standard Player Agreements with the NWSL.
Contacts:
Ally
Justin Nicolette
Justin.Nicolette@ally.com
704-301-4544
NWSLPA
Sydney Miramontez
sydney@nwslplayers.com