What you should know
- Mayor Adams Also Announces City Hall, Other City Buildings to Be
Lit Gotham FC Sky Blue Tonight in Honor of Champs - Photos from Procession and Ceremony Available Online
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today honored the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) champion Gotham Football Club (FC) with the Key to the City of New York at a City Hall ceremony after the Gotham FC won the NWSL championship Saturday evening. Additionally, Mayor Adams today announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit up in Gotham FC sky blue tonight.
“Gotham Football Club have inspired thousands of soccer fans and young girls and boys to believe in themselves, to be brave, to be bold, and to be fierce — fueled by the team slogan: ‘Always Building, Never Finished,’” said Mayor Adams. “In a city that never settles for less, Gotham FC reminds us of what it means to fight for greatness, to defy expectations, and to win with heart. Their victory is more than a championship; it’s a statement that women’s sports belong on the biggest stage. New York doesn’t just watch history; we make it, and we will celebrate the women who are redefining it.”
“We are so proud to be recognized with this special honor at City Hall,” said Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, governor, Gotham FC. “This team earned a championship through the very grit, boldness, and excellence that defines this region, and we loved the opportunity to celebrate our championship with our Gotham FC community.”
The festivities celebrated the second NWSL championship victory in three years for Gotham FC, which has become a global powerhouse in women's professional soccer thanks to its domestic and continental success. Led by U.S. Women’s National Team stars Rose Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, and Emily Sonnett, the 2025 NWSL champions defeated their archrival Washington Spirit 1-0 in the NWSL final, completing one of the most successful seasons in American women’s soccer history.
Representing New Jersey and New York with top global talent, Gotham FC is one of 16 clubs in the NWSL. The club won its first NWSL championship in 2023. Two years later, Gotham FC captured the first continental club trophy in North American women’s soccer history by winning the inaugural 2024-25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup, earning qualification for the first editions of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.
Rebranded as Gotham FC in 2021, the club plays its home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Originally founded in 2007 as Sky Blue FC, the team won the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer Championship in 2009 and has been a founding member of the NWSL since the league’s launch in 2013.
In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up sky blue tonight in honor of the Gotham FC:
- Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
- Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
- Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
The Key to the City of New York was first awarded in 1702 by New York City Mayor Phillip French, when he offered "Freedom of the City" to Viscount Edward Cornbury, governor of New York and New Jersey. By the mid-1800s, it became customary to award the Key to the City of New York as a direct symbol of the city's wish that a guest feel free to come and go at will. Today, the Key to the City of New York is a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement.
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