Announces Five-Year Partnership with U.S. Soccer Federation in
Support of U.S. Women’s National Team, Presenting Sponsor of SheBelieves
Cup
Launches U.S. Marketing Campaign Featuring Players of the U.S.
Women’s National Team
Unveils Global Team Visa Roster and Presenting Partner of the Player
of the Match for FIFA Women’s World Cup™
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2019--
Heading into the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, Visa (NYSE:V)
today announced an expanded commitment to women’s soccer, leveraging the
brand’s sponsorship platform to inspire women athletes amidst the global
gender equality and women’s empowerment movement.
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Visa announces Five-Year Partnership with U.S. Soccer Federation in Support of U.S. Women’s National Team, Presenting Sponsor of SheBelieves Cup (Photo: Business Wire)
“Sport presents a huge opportunity for women to pursue their dreams on
and off the field,” said Lynne Biggar, chief marketing and
communications officer, Visa. “Women make the vast majority of consumer
purchases and start millions of small businesses a year. By making a
substantial investment in women’s initiatives, including soccer, Visa is
celebrating this powerful global force.”
Visa’s Newest Investments Include:
Supporting Women’s Soccer in the U.S. and Beyond
Partnership with United States Soccer Federation
Visa has entered a five-year sponsorship agreement with the world leader
in women’s soccer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, to contribute to its
long-standing investment in the development of women’s soccer and
support the U.S. Women’s National Team through 2023. The support of U.S.
Women’s Soccer complements Visa’s
global investment in women’s soccer through partnerships with UEFA
Women’s Football and Visa’s longstanding partnership with FIFA,
including the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
Uruguay 2018 and FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018.
Visa will be the presenting sponsor of the SheBelieves
Cup, which was started in the run-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Canada 2015™, a four-team women’s international team tournament played
in the United States each year. The tournament is based around U.S.
Soccer’s SheBelieves initiative, focused on inspiring young girls and
women to accomplish their goals and dreams. The agreement between U.S.
Soccer and Visa was facilitated by Soccer United Marketing (SUM), U.S.
Soccer’s partner for the past 15 years.
“We are incredibly excited Visa is partnering with us on our overall
mission to become the preeminent sport in the U.S.,” said Jay Berhalter,
chief commercial officer, U.S. Soccer. “With Visa joining us in our
long-term investment in women’s soccer, we will continue to increase
opportunities for women players, coaches and referees at all levels.
Overall, we are looking forward to Visa helping us reach our mission by
increasing participation, developing world class players, coaches and
referees, and increasing fan engagement.”
“Soccer United Marketing is proud to facilitate this multi-year
partnership between U.S. Soccer and Visa,” said Jen Cramer, senior vice
president, SUM. “We are always looking to establish partnerships with
iconic, forward-thinking brands who are committed to advancing the game
and developing female leaders for the next generation both in athletics
and business. This exciting relationship between Visa and U.S. Soccer
will elevate soccer’s popularity to even higher levels in North America,
especially in advance of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™.”
Amplifying Women in Soccer
Visa is launching a new U.S. marketing campaign celebrating the U.S.
Women’s National Team. The centerpiece is a new ad spotlighting stars Mallory
Pugh, Becky Sauerbrunn, Rose Lavelle,Jessica McDonald, Abby
Dahlkemperand Adrianna Franchas they attempt to earn a
fourth star by winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™ title. The ad
provides a glimpse into the players’ hard work and determination as they
strive to achieve greatness on the world stage this summer. This builds
upon Visa’s new global ad campaign, “One
Moment Can Change the Game,” focused on elevating women in sports.
“My teammates inspire me in so many ways every day,” said Mallory Pugh,
United States Women’s National Team Forward. “I am so proud to be part
of Visa’s campaign which celebrates athletes the way we are and
showcases the magic moments on the field. Visa’s campaign is another
incredibly empowering message for women and girls.”
Celebrating Women at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™
Player of the Match, Presented by Visa
Visa is the presenting sponsor of the Player of the Match for the FIFA
Women’s World Cup 2019™, celebrating women soccer players. Soccer fans
worldwide will have the opportunity to vote on FIFA.com for their
favorite player for each of the 52 matches during the tournament.
Players can be selected for their outstanding performance – amazing
play, display of sportsmanship, or some other moment on the field.
The Player of the Match, Presented by Visa, trophy is designed to
celebrate and create an opportunity for fans to have a voice and
contribute to the growing recognition of the women in soccer across the
world.
Team Visa Expansion
Visa’s roster of Team Visa athletes is expanding, as 18 new women’s
soccer players from 16 countries will join Team Visa. They include: Ellie
Carpenter (Australia), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Nadia
Nadim (Denmark), Lucy Bronze (England), Fran Kirby
(England), Nikita Parris (England), Eugenie Le Sommer
(France), Dzsenifer Marozsán (Germany), Laura Giuliani
(Italy), Shanice vd Sanden (Netherlands), Caroline Graham
Hansen (Norway), Ewa Pajor (Poland), Kim Little
(Scotland), Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland), Alexia Putellas
(Spain), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden), Didem Karagenç
(Turkey) and Megan Rapinoe (United States).
Since the beginning of the Team Visa program in 2000, on average fifty
four percent of Team Visa have been women, including the newly announced
18 women soccer players from around the world. The program has supported
more than 400 athletes and aims to provide athletes with the resources
needed to achieve their goals on and off the field.
Visa Everywhere Initiative: Women’s Global Edition
On the opening day of the tournament on June 7, Visa will host the finals
event for its first global competition focused on celebrating women
entrepreneurs who are making strides in Fintech and Social Impact
around the world. Twelve finalists from six regions will pitch their
solutions for a chance to win the grand prize of $100,000 per challenge.
Uplifting Women from the Field to the Boardroom
Visa’s support for women goes beyond the playing field. Ninety four
percent of women in the C-suite have played a sport at some time in
their lives.1 Given the correlation between success in sport
and business, Visa is a catalyst for supporting and championing women in
all facets of life. Visa’s investment in women’s soccer globally builds
on Visa’s initiatives that support women entrepreneurs and small
business owners. Others include:
- She’s
Next, Empowered by Visa, a global program championing women in
their efforts to fund, run and grow their small businesses.
- Money
is Changing, Visa’s multimillion-dollar campaign in the U.S.,
which builds on its millennial women focus and highlights practical
steps women have taken to change the game and challenge existing
taboos when it comes to money.
“As a leading sponsor of women’s soccer and advocate for female
empowerment, Visa is dedicated to accelerating the growing support of
the game, on and off the field,” continued Lynne Biggar, chief marketing
and communications officer, Visa. “From championing professional players
and celebrating their stories, to tapping into the strength of the Visa
brand and elevating the game’s visibility across the world, Visa’s
commitment to women’s soccer is here to stay.”
1 EY and espnW “Where Will You Find Your Next Leader?” study
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our
mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable
and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and
economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet,
provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable
of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The
company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid
growth of digital commerce on any device, for everyone, everywhere. As
the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand,
products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce.
For more information, visit About
Visa, visa.com/blog and
@VisaNews.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190530005245/en/
Source: Visa Inc.
Visa Inc.
Sheerin Salimi
shesalim@visa.com