Second Editon of ‘Women’s International Champions Cup Best XI Presented by Ally’ Team Announced
WOMEN'S
WICC
2 Yrs Ago
New York, NY – Relevent Sports Group (RSG) announced today the second class of winners of the Women’s International Champions Cup Best XI Presented by Ally, which is comprised of the athletes, executives, journalists, coaches, and other individuals who are doing the most to advance women’s soccer. This initiative further expands RSG’s footprint in the women’s game globally and reinforces the organization’s committment to the growth and development of women’s soccer with a focus on striving for a level playing field.
For the second edition in 2021, the advisory board featured three returning board members – Heather O’Reilly, Grant Wahl, and Vero Boquete; three inaugural winners – Moya Dodd, Bibi Steinhaus-Webb, and Meg Linehan; and one broadcast analyst - Lori Lindsey. The board advocated and debated during several sessions and selected the following individuals as the 2021 WICC Best XI honorees: four players - Christine Sinclair, Alexia Putellas, Formiga, and Quinn; two coaches – Emma Hayes and Monika Staab; one journalist – Suzy Wrack; three executives - Nadine Kessler, Tom Corbett, and Meskerem Goshime; one activist group – Mana Shim, Sinead Farrelly, and Kaiya McCullough.
Similar to the first edition in 2020, RSG has created an original short film on each Best XI honoree and will highlight one Best XI honoree each weekday from December 2-16, sharing each person’s film on RSG’s social and digital channels as well as on a dedicated page of the ICC Website. WICC Best XI footage will also be available on DAZN globally in January 2022, including on their UEFA Women’s Champions League YouTube channel.
“We are excited to return for a second edition of the WICC Best XI. This platform gives us the unique opportunity to celebrate eleven individuals who are championing women’s soccer in their respective fields each year. Without the achievements of the 2021 honorees, the women’s game would not be in its current place, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to share their stories with our fans,” said Susie Fiore, Head of the WICC.
Once again, Ally, a long-term partner of the men’s and women’s ICC tournaments, signed on to be the presenting partner of the WICC Best XI. “By coming onboard as presenting partner for a second straight year, as well as being a partner of the WICC tournament and the NWSL, Ally continues to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to women’s soccer,” said Fiore. “Ally is a tremendous partner for us on our ICC platforms and we are aligned with the brand in that we share the mission of elevate women’s soccer to level the playing field.”
“These honorees demonstrate passion, commitment and struggle and it’s critically important to be a part of storytelling that shines a light on these world-class athletes,” said Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer for Ally.
Brimmer continued on to state, “These honorees have been key to the explosive growth of women’s soccer in this country and around the world. Brands have the responsibility to step up and be a part of telling that story. That’s why we are here and that’s why we’re leaning in to our commitment to women’s soccer to help the game continue to grow and flourish.”
WICC Best XI Presented by Ally Honoree Bios
Players
Alexia Putellas
· One of FC Barcelona’s star players since her arrival in 2012 as an 18 year old.
· Her impressive list of accolades includes being named the 2021 Ballon d’Or Feminin Winner, 2021 Spain Women’s National Team Player of the Year, the 2020/2021 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, the 2020/2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League Midfielder of the Season, 2018/2019 and 2020/2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League Squad of the Season, 2021 IFFHS Women’s Player of the Year, 2019/2020 Primera División MVP of the Season, and 2015 and 2017 Catalan Player of the Year.
· During the 2020/2021 season, she was the captain for FC Barcelona as they won the UEFA Women's Champions League as well as a continental triple for the first time in the club’s history.
· She made her senior national team debut for Spain in 2012 and has since competed in three major international tournaments with the squad, including Spain's Women's World Cup debut in 2015, the 2017 UEFA Women's Euro, and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Christine Sinclair
· The most successful Canadian soccer player in history. She made her debut with the senior national team as a 16-year-old at the 2000 Algarve Cup where she also scored her first international goal. Since then, she has accumulated more than 187 international goals, making her the highest scoring player – man or woman – in the world.
· Sinclair has competed at four Olympic Games, winning gold at Tokyo 2020 after back-to-back bronzes at London 2012 and Rio 2016. At London 2012 she was the tournament’s leading scorer with 6 of Canada’s 12 goals.
· Other achievements with the Canadian Women’s National Team include a 2016 Algarve Cup title, 2015 Four Nations gold medal, and two Cyprus Cups in 2008 and 2011.
· She has captained the Portland Thorns since their inaugural season in 2013, winning 2 NWSL Championships, 2 NWSL Shields, 1 NWSL Challenge Cup, 1 NWSL Fall Series, and 1 WICC title.
Formiga
· When she was born in Salvador in the north-east state of Bahia in 1978, it was still illegal for women and girls to even play soccer. Today, Formiga has one of the most impressive careers in history with 7 World Cup participations and 25 matches in the knockout rounds - a record across women’s and men’s soccer - 7 Olympics with 2 silver medals, and the is first South American player to earn 200 international caps.
· She competed in the 2019 World Cup at the age of 41 and Tokyo 2020 at the age of 43.
· She has played club soccer in Brazil, the US, France, and Sweden, and currently plays for São Paulo.
· Her priority is not “to be remembered as the player who played for so many years, who was at all those Olympic Games and World Cups, but as someone who fought for improvements in women’s soccer in my country."
Quinn
· During Tokyo 2020, they became the first-ever openly transgender and nonbinary athlete to win gold in the Olympic Games.
· They made their Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 , where they helped the team win a bronze medal.
· They previously played for Duke University, then professionally for the Washington Spirit, Paris FC and currently for the OL Reign.
Coaches
Emma Hayes
· Widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the game, Hayes has been Chelsea manager for 9 years.
· Hayes was named FAWSL Manager of the Season for the 2019/2020 season after Chelsea finished undefeated (12 wins and 3 draws). She once again won this award following the 2020/2021 season after leading her side to another WSL title.
· She led Chelsea to the 2020/2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final.
· Hayes was made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's 90th birthday honours list in June 2016.
Monika Staab
· An ex-player, Staab started her playing career for SG Rosenhöhe Offenbach at the age of 11 from 1970 to 1974. In the following years, she played for other teams such as Kickers Offenbach, Paris Saint-Germain, Queens Park Rangers, Southampton WFC, and SG Praunheim before retiring in 1992.
· In 1993 she started her career as coach, managing European teams SG Praunheim, and Eintracht Frankfurt (formerly 1. FFC Frankfurt). She won the UEFA Women’s Cup (the predecessor to the UEFA Women’s Champions League) with Frankfurt in 2002.
· She has managed the Bahrain and Qatar women’s national teams and is currently the coach of Saudi Arabia's first-ever women's national soccer team.
· Named German Football Ambassador of the Year in 2014.
· In total, she has nearly 30 years of coaching experience in both Europe and the Arab region and has promoted and coached girls’ and women’s soccer in over 80 countries.
Journalist
Suzy Wrack
· Wrack is the women’s soccer writer for the Guardian. She previously worked on the sports desk as a layout sub editor. She has worked as a Senior Broadcast Journalist for BBC Sport, a digital designer for The Sunday Times, and page artist for Trinity Mirror's The New Day.
· In addition, she is an accredited soccer reporter, member of the SJA, member of the Football Writer's Association, member of Women in Football, on the Manchester FA Women and Girls Football working group and also won a place on the first ever Women in Journalism mentoring scheme in 2016. She is on the expert panel which helps determine the FAWSL player of the month and is on the panel for the FAWSL Hall of Fame.
· Has broken many important stories, including that of 2020 WICC Best XI Winner, Khalida Popal.
· She has a chapter included in ‘Football, She Wrote’, an anthology of women’s soccer writers published in September 2021 and her first book, a social and political history of women’s soccer, will be published in Spring 2022.
Executives
Meskerem Goshime
· Goshime is currently the Senior Manager of Women’s Football Development at CAF.
· In 2017, she was appointed as the Deputy Secretary General of the Ethiopian Football Federation. Goshime, who graduated from the "FIFA Master" 16th edition, was the first woman to hold this important position at the Federation.
· She is an experienced sports leader with the expertise of working in different aspects of soccer management and Sports event organization. She is working to give a chance for every girl in the world to experience the joys of soccer and the life lessons that can be learned through it.
· Previously coached the men’s soccer team at Bahir Dar University and the women’s soccer team at Adama Science and Technology University, leading each to a national title.
Nadine Kessler
· She played for VfL Wolfsburg and the German national team and was the recipient of the 2014 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
· Kessler is now UEFA’s Chief of Women’s Football Strategy and oversees UEFA’s five-year strategic framework with the aim of supporting, guiding and lifting both women’s soccer and women in soccer across Europe.
· During her tenure, UEFA agreed with Adidas for an expansion in their partnership that includes the official partnership with UEFA Women’s Football from 2021-2025, covering all UEFA Women’s competitions.
· Also under her tenure, UEFA has expanded the format of the UEFA Women’s Champions League competition to include a group stage for the first time and expanded the pool of prize money for participating clubs.
Tom Corbett
· Corbett is the Head of Sponsorship and Media at Barclays and has been instrumental in Barclays sponsoring the FAWSL and FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships. The investment in the FAWSL is the single largest investment in women’s sport in the United Kingdom.
· Barclays is also the presenting partner of the FAWSL Hall of Fame.
· In addition, Barclay is also teaming up with Women in Football (WiF) to support them in its work to expand its reach nationwide and further develop the skills of women in soccer by hosting a series of workshops and seminars to share expertise, culminating in its first career Development Conference next year.
Activist Group
Mana Shim
· Shim represented the United States on the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team.
· Played multiple seasons in the NWSL with the Portland Thorns FC and Houston Dash. With Portland she was named the team’s 2013 Newcomer of the Year after scoring 5 goals and creating 2 assists in 19 appearances.
· Shim is currently enrolled in law school in Hawaii.
· In 2021, Shim, together with Sinead Farrelly, publicly accused her former manager Paul Riley of sexual misconduct to The Athletic in a pivotal moment that has led to sweeping changes in the NWSL and the overall fight against sexual abuse in women’s soccer.
Sinead Farrelly
· Farrelly represented the United States at the U-15, U-16, U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels.
· Prior to the start of the NWSL, Farrelly played in its predecessor league, the WPS with the Philadelphia Independence and also with the New York Fury in the WPSL Elite league. Thereafter, Farrelly played for FC Kansas City in the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013. After a solid season in Kansas City she was traded to Portland Thorns FC, where she spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
· Farrelly’s soccer career was cut short due to a serious car accident in September 2015
· In 2021, Farrelly, together with Mana Shim, publicly accused her former manager Paul Riley of sexual misconduct to The Athletic in a pivotal moment that has led to sweeping changes in the NWSL and the overall fight against sexual abuse in women’s soccer.
Kaiya McCullough
· McCullough represented the United States at the U-17, U-18, and U-20 levels.
· Washington Spirit drafted McCullough with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft.
· McCullough is a co-founder of United College Athlete Advocates (UCAA), an nonprofit that advocates for college athletes’ rights. Their goal is to help athletes organize, and hopefully alter the power dynamics between athletes and their de facto employer: the NCAA.
· In 2021, McCullough exposed and accused former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke of verbal and emotional abuse of players. The article was published by The Washington Post and in it, McCullough went on the record detailing the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her former head coach, which together with the article published in the Athletic about Paul Riley, led to sweeping changes in the NWSL and the overall fight against sexual abuse in women’s soccer. That same morning, she tweeted a statement saying rather than tarnish her cherished memories of soccer, she’s decided to walk away from the game—for now at least.
About Relevent Sports Group
Relevent Sports Group (RSG) is one of the most influential privately-owned international soccer companies, with a focus on growing the popularity of the sport in North America and Asia. RSG delivers exceptional multi-platform experiences and access for fans across the International Champions Cup, Women’s International Champions Cup, and the International Champions Cup Futures tournaments featuring the world’s top soccer clubs. RSG also invests in and develops platforms to accelerate the growth of soccer, including the first-of-its-kind joint venture with LaLiga to grow the popularity and value of the league in North America.
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial-services company with $185.3 billion in assets as of September 30, 2020. As a customer-centric company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions, we are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. We are one of the largest full-service automotive-finance operations in the country and offer a wide range of financial services and insurance products to automotive dealerships and consumers. Our award-winning online bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) offers mortgage lending, personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products, including savings, money-market, and checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Additionally, we offer securities-brokerage and investment-advisory services through Ally Invest. Our robust corporate finance business offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.
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