Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Hosts Ceremony at City Hall for Women's World Cup Soccer Champions

July 10, 2015

Mayor de Blasio: My fellow New Yorkers –

[Cheers]

–        and my fellow Americans –

[Cheers]

–        and all of those watching around the world this triumphed moment.  We welcome you to New York City Hall.

[Cheers]

Are you ready for a party?

Then let’s celebrate the world champion U.S. Women soccer team.

[Cheers]

A triumphed to win the third World Cup for this nation.  They’ve broke records by drawing almost 27 million viewers to the final game.

[Cheers]

And today, once again, they have made history – the first women’s sports team in history honored with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

[Cheers]

And let me tell you, It’s about time isn’t it. You can see out there the love that the people of this city and the people of this country have for this team, and what they mean to all of us. You can see it in the faces of men and women, boys and girls. And it was just the purest deepest sense of admiration. Our hearts are with this team, aren’t they?

[Cheers]

And when they bought home that trophy they also bought back a message about the power of women –

[Cheers]

about the strength of women; and about the need to create a more equal society for all. Young women who watched that game will grow up and they’ll tell their daughters and they’ll tell their sons about that 2015 championship team that made history; and opened minds and bought us together. This is what it really means to be one nation – one team.

[Cheers]

Let me quickly acknowledge some of the people who made today possible, let’s thank U.S. Soccer in their extraordinary partnership in bringing this event together. Our sponsors, Ritz Crackers, Trident Gum, EA FIFA 2016, Nike, New York City Football Club, New York Red bulls, Powerade, Sky Blue Football Club, Coca-Cola. I also want to thank two people who had a big role in bringing us to this day because it was their idea – our former deputy mayor and soccer enthusiast Howard Wilson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. Thank you both for their inspiration. Finally, I want to thank the woman whose leadership of the other half of this building makes so much possible here in New York City – the Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito. And I thank the happiest parade-goer of them all the first lady of New York City Chirlane McCray – with her headband. And now I want to bring up someone we love here in the city. She is the host of ABC Good Morning America. She will introduce to you the champions. Robin Roberts is no stranger to the world of sports – a former star athlete playing basketball at South-Eastern Louisiana University. And a former sports reporter and now the great host of Good Morning America, I bring to you ladies and gentlemen Robin Roberts.

[…]

Mayor: Thank you coach for your extraordinary leadership. I will now say to the team – there’s a special honor we give here in New York City, but you have to be someone truly extraordinary because we have very high standards in New York City, don’t we?

[Cheers]

So, team you had the strength; you had the grit; you had the speed to make it to the championship. You had the determination, the teamwork, the heart to become champions and examples to us all. So, I’m going to ask Robin and Heather to come forward to join me in a very important presentation, and behalf of all 8.5 million New Yorkers it is now my pleasure to present each member of the team a very rare honor – the key to the city of New York.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: Thank you, Abby.

Alright, this is the ultimate team. They played like a team. They believed in the team. Give them one big round of applause for a team effort.

[Applause]

What an amazing end to what an extraordinary season. And since their accomplishments mean so much, not just to the people of the United States of America – they mean something to people all over the world. And to women and girls all over the world who are inspired. And since we are an international city and proud of it, and we have an international audience watching this ceremony with pride, let’s say a few words Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

An inspiration to women all over the world and girls all over the world.

Give it up one more time for the world champions.

[Cheers]