CHICAGO, March 30, 2021 – The National Women’s Soccer League announced today that Ally has joined the league’s roster of national sponsors, aiming to shine a light on the players, fans and communities who are working to grow the game and make a difference, on and off the pitch. The new relationship is ground-breaking in its scope, including a league-wide jersey sleeve activation.
“Ally is the perfect fit for our league and I’m thrilled to welcome them to the NWSL family,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. “The NWSL and Ally are game changers in our respective industries and the opportunity to showcase our shared-values and commitment to leveling the playing field is an extraordinarily unique proposition in the world of sports sponsorship.”
Ally’s logo will appear on the sleeve of all NWSL jerseys beginning in 2021, a symbol of their commitment to every player who wears a kit. The relationship is also structured to include a Player Impact Focus Program that will deliver a portion of Ally’s sponsorship fees directly to NWSL players. Ally will also be one of a group of top league partners working together on significant Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives over the life of the sponsorship. The full details of the PIFP and DEI programs will be announced at a later date.
“Our sponsorship of NWSL supports Ally’s deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is a direct outgrowth of our ‘Do It Right’ brand promise,” said Ally Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Andrea Brimmer “This relationship will further the continuing progress that women have made in changing the game. We’ll also work with the league to give fans inside access in innovative ways.”
“Ally’s commitment to growing the women’s game alongside the NWSL is another indication of the support this league and the players deserve,” said Portland Thorns Owner and Chief Executive Officer Merritt Paulson. “Having been with the league since its inception, I am both encouraged by how far the NWSL has come and excited to see this partnership push our sport forward in the coming years.”
As part of the sponsorship announcement festivities, Baird and Brimmer will appear live on the NWSL’s Twitch channel today at 4 p.m. ET. They’ll be joined by sports broadcaster and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Wagner and Sky Blue forward Margaret “Midge” Purce. The group will discuss Ally’s impact as a sponsor, each organization’s vision for the growth of women’s sports, and their collective commitment to creating a more equal playing field, in sports and in business.
The league kicks off its 2021 campaign with the NWSL Challenge Cup presented by Secret Deodorant on April 9 with Chicago at Houston in a rematch of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final. That match will air on CBS Sports Network, followed by Kansas City’s first match since joining the league in December 2020 against Portland Thorns FC at 10:30 p.m. EST on Paramount+, the premium streaming service from ViacomCBS.
About NWSL
The National Women’s Soccer League is a ten-team Division-I women’s professional soccer league featuring national team players from around the world. The clubs are the Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, OL Reign, Sky Blue FC, Kansas City, Washington Spirit, and Racing Louisville FC. The league will welcome two new teams in 2022, in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Based in Chicago, the NWSL is partners with the Canadian Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation.
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial-services company with $182.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 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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Contacts:
NWSL
Kirsten Brierley
kbrierley@nwslsoccer.com
631-617-7093
Ally
Cristianna Vazquez
cristianna.vazquez@ally.com
313-656-3817