FC GOLD PRIDE FORWARD MARTA NOMINATED FOR WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
 
The Four-time FIFA World Player of the Year and FC Gold Pride All-Star forward, Marta has been nominated for the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year award.
 
Marta, is one of 10 female athletes nominated in the team category who are recognized for their exemplary leadership and athletic performance over a 12-month period.  In the past 12 months, Marta was honored as the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, an award she has received for four consecutive years (2006-2009). She led Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) with 10 goals and added three assists during the league’s inaugural season, en route to winning the 2009 WPS Puma Golden Boot Award. She was twice named to the WPS All-Star Team and has twice been honored as the game’s MVP. Marta also won the Michelle Akers Award as the MVP of the league’s inaugural season.
 
As of July, when the 12-month span closed, Marta led WPS with 13 goals for the 2010 season, and helped FC Gold Pride capture the WPS Regular Season Championship. She was the first player in WPS to earn Player of the Week honors three times in a single season (Weeks 6, 9 and 12).  Marta is currently the No. 1 ranked female soccer player by the World Soccer Federation (WSF) and her team (Brazil) is ranked third by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
 
Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through physical activity.  The Foundation is the only national organization promoting all sports and physical activities for women of all ages and skill levels and is acknowledged by the media as the expert resource on all women’s sports issues.
 
Sports fans still have the opportunity to see Marta in action as FC Gold Pride and WPS close out the final quarter of the season.  The Pride will play two games on the East Coast in the coming week against the Atlanta Beat and Sky Blue FC (NY/NJ) before returning home to the Bay Area to close out the regular season against the Boston Breakers, Sept. 5 and Philadelphia Independence, Sept. 11. 
 
The 2010 WPS Regular Season Champion, FC Gold Pride will host the WPS Championship match at Pioneer Stadium on the campus of California State University, East Bay on Sunday, September 26.  Join Women’s Professional Soccer as the league celebrates the culmination of its second season, and a new champion is crowned.  Kickoff for the WPS Championship match is scheduled for 11:30 am PT and will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. To order tickets to the WPS Championship match, call 888-541-3511 or visit fcgoldpride.com for more information.