Hillary Clinton Launches A Women's Cup

Here are some of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's remarks on the Launching of the Women's World Cup Initiative

...[Ben Franklin] was a great believer in breaking down barriers and boundaries and having people go as far as they could on their own efforts. And sports is all about that, but it’s also, as Robyn just said, about teams and about learning together and getting better and contributing, and that is really our goal here with this very exciting effort.

It’s a great way to begin the 40th anniversary of Title IX, and to have so many athletes and coaches and administrators and representatives from around the world here today. And I especially am pleased that – Robyn is from South Africa and is exemplifying the changes in her own country, and Valerie Jarrett is here from the White House, and in a few weeks the First Lady, Mrs. Obama, will be going to South Africa, and I’m sure one of her main focuses will be on young women and girls and the opportunities that are available or should be available to all of you...

...I’m very proud of our U.S. Women’s Team, not just for last night but for all that they’re doing. And they’re getting ready for the Women’s World Cup in Germany next month, and I can remember that very, very hot July day in 1999 when Brandi Chastain stepped in to take that penalty kick. Now, I know some of you weren’t born then, but I – (laughter) – I hope you’ve seen it on YouTube or somehow, because it was a very important moment for women in sports, for women everywhere, and for all of the men, particularly the fathers and the brothers and the sons who supported them.
That penalty kick won the World Cup for the U.S. Women’s National Team, and everybody went crazy after that. But it wasn’t just a win for U.S. women; it really was a victory for all girls, because young women like Brandi, who had benefited from Title IX, was really demonstrating that the commitment we had made some years before was paying off. That girls and women, Robyn, would have their own teams and would be able to compete. And I know that Brandi became an ambassador after that on behalf of sports and talking about and writing about her experiences and co-founding the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative...

Good luck to all the ladies on the sports pitches.

^