The Washington Spirit are getting ready for the championship game Saturday night as they take on the Orlando Pride in Kansas City.
Excitement has swelled around the big match and the rise in popularity of women’s sports. Owner Michele Kang just announced this week she plans to donate $30 million over five years to U.S. soccer programs for women and girls.
As the Spirit hope to bring home the title, the team says it’s ready for what lies ahead.
"I mean we’re all really excited for tomorrow and we understand the gravity of the game and how big of a game it is," Spirit forward Ashley Hatch said.
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"We are in our best moment in the season," Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez said. "Tomorrow we have to show why are we here."
In the D.C. area, there are lots of Spirit watch parties planned. You’ll want to plan ahead, though -- several bars are already sold out.
Dave Cahill of Ireland’s Four Courts in Arlington says people should get there early to snag a seat.
"We’re a big soccer bar," Cahill said. "We feel like this is one of our own in the finals, so we’re absolutely thrilled."
He said that when the pub showed the Olympic gold medal match for women’s soccer, they were so packed they had people standing outside watching the TV through the windows.
The popularity of women’s sports is on the rise all around the country, with basketball stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese also driving up the excitement.
This year, for the first time, the NCAA women’s basketball championship drew more viewers than the men’s: 18.7 million to 14.8 million. The WNBA's average game viewership tripled, from 462,000 to 1.3 million. And the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) had its highest regular season attendance in league history with 2 million people.
"It's so important that we show our women and our girls that they can do anything," said Danielle Hunter with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), which is hosting the official watch party at Randall Recreation Center.
"You may be right here at DPR kicking the soccer ball one day at Randall Field. And next day, next 10 years later, you can be a mile away at Audi Field kicking it for Washington Spirit," she said.
NBA legend Magic Johnson just bought a stake in the Spirit two months ago. Kang, the team's majority owner, is the first woman of color to own a team in the NWSL.
