Welcome to the Party

Episode: Legends and Chaos from NWSL Championship Weekend!

Date: November 22, 2025
Hosts: Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King
Guests: Andrea Brimmer (CMO Ally Bank), Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slayton

Episode Overview

In this high-energy live episode, soccer icons Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, joined by legendary Billie Jean King, celebrate women's sports from Ally House during the NWSL Championship Weekend. With a lively crowd and an all-star guest roster, the episode blends discussions of recent awards and news in women’s sports, deep dives with game-changing industry figures, and a hefty dose of friendly competition and humor.
Main themes: Celebration of women’s sports milestones, the power of community, the business case for investing in women's sports, and the evolving role of athletes as owners and leaders.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Party Vibe & Community Energy

• Live audience energy (“Look at you party people. Ally House is hopping...”) [01:12]
• Emphasis on inclusion: “Whether you’ve been here all along or looking to get in the game, you’re invited.”
• Julie and Abby riff on party traditions, audience interaction, and their own quirks (“Do any of you have real jobs? Apparently not.”) [01:12]

2. Party Starter: Highlights & Headlines in Women’s Sports [05:49–15:03]

• NWSL Awards Recap

  • MVP: Temuachinga of Kansas City Current wins MVP and Golden Boot—first back-to-back MVP in league history. [05:49]

    “That woman cleaned up.” —Julie Foudy [05:49]

  • Coach of the Year: Bev Yanez (Racing Louisville)—first former NWSL player to win it. [06:50]
  • Other awards: Goalkeeper of the Year (Lorena, KC Current); Defender (Tara Mikhyon, Washington Spirit); Midfielder (Monaka Matsukubo, NC Courage); Rookie (Lily Real, Gotham).
  • Lauren Holiday Impact Award: Sam Hyatt (Portland Thorns)—recognized for her work with Candlelighters Oregon, inspired by her brother’s cancer diagnosis. [07:57]

    “Big round of applause to Sam Hyatt for that award.” —Julie Foudy [08:06]

• USWNT Roster Announced [08:55]

  • Coach Emma Hayes calls 26 players for year-end friendlies vs. Italy—includes Naomi Girma (returning from injury) and Bay FC’s Jordan Silkowitz (first national team call-up).
  • “Stanford fans are thrilled for her long awaited return following a calf injury.” —Abby Wambach [09:10]

• NCAA Soccer & Deaf Olympics

  • NCAA: Stanford vs. Alabama in the second round [10:19]
  • Deaf Olympics: US Deaf Women’s National Team advances to gold medal match, defeating Japan and Australia; “Emily Spreeman led the team with five goals and Mia White got her first hat trick.” —Abby Wambach [10:38]

• Women’s Volleyball & Other Sports

  • Stanford sweeps Cal 3-0 in ‘The Big Spike’ rivalry.

• Women’s Basketbal l: Project B [12:10]

  • New global Women’s Basketball League, scheduled off-WNBA season, boasts high salaries/equity (players like Jewel Lloyd, Jonquel Jones sign on).

    “It’s super interesting...all these things happening in the women’s sports space.” —Julie Foudy [13:08]

  • Sponsorship emphasis: “Ally is a major sponsor of Unrivaled as well.” —Abby Wambach [14:24]

3. Andrea Brimmer (CMO, Ally Bank): Game-Changer Interview [16:18–31:41]

Background & Ally House Origins [19:03]

• Creation of Ally House as a community hub for fans, players, and celebration.

  “We have been wanting to do an Ally house since the championship was in D.C....a labor of love.” —Andrea Brimmer [19:03]

The 50/50 Pledge: Origin & Impact [20:01]

• A pledge to spend equally on men’s and women’s sports media.

  “Historically men's sports got 90%...women’s sports less than 10%...We found out we were part of the problem. We were 90/10.” —Andrea Brimmer [20:45]

  • Brimmer reveals the pledge was so bold she didn’t inform her boss beforehand, leading to a legendary career moment.

    “If I’m gonna get fired, that’s a heck of a way to get fired.” —A. Brimmer [23:02]

• Game-Changer Effect:

  • Created pressure in the industry; brand investment is crucial to growing women's sports media rights and infrastructure.

    “I've got all the empirical data that proves that the investment we made has been worth it.” —A. Brimmer [23:06]

• Barriers & Industry Rewiring:

  • Media hadn’t built inventory for women’s sports—Ally had to help create it, like pushing for primetime for NWSL championship.

    “We had to go out and create it.” —A. Brimmer [24:35]

Shifting the Narrative (“Banking on Women’s Sports”) [26:15]

• “When people say ‘betting on women’s sports’, it’s a backhanded slap...for us, it’s banking on women’s sports.” [26:15]
• Fans can help by supporting brands who invest in women’s sports. [26:47]

Data & Results:

• “Favorability among women’s sports fans is 30–40% higher than in the general market.”
• “Wealth transference to women in the next five years...between $20 and $40 trillion...This makes good business sense.” —A. Brimmer [27:21/27:42]

Rapid-Fire Party Questions [27:53]

• Favorite women's sports moment: “The 99ers.” (1999 USWNT) [28:06]
• First athlete inspiration: “Billie Jean King.” [28:41]
  • Billie Jean King personally reached out after the 50/50 pledge.
• Favorite NWSL city to watch a match: “Kansas City.”
• Party person(s): “My kids...and my dog.” [31:18]

4. Bay FC Founders Brandi Chastain & Danielle Slayton: Player-to-Owner Evolution [39:58–54:55]

Player-Centric Ownership [44:08]

• “I have to say, I’ve always been player-centric...thinking about the players, what do they need, when do they need it, how do they need it?” —Danielle Slayton [44:08]
• Ownership group includes four former players; “Our story and perspective matters at the table.” —Brandi Chastain [45:12]

Community Investment & Challenges [45:53]

• Building a balance between performance demands and community outreach:

  “We have to do our best to embrace when people are ready to step out and expand their wings a little bit...they'll embrace it too.” —Danielle Slayton [47:11]

• Modeling “walk the walk” leadership to current players (“We’re not beyond having to pick up the balls and fill the water jugs...it goes a long way.”) —Danielle Slayton [49:23]

Disrupting the System & The Future [51:36 / 54:03]

• Brandi’s next move: "My dream is to coach with the national team or our youth national team...I’ve finally been invited.” [52:18]
• Danielle’s vision: “What I spend the most time thinking about is how I want the world to be after the 2031 World Cup is here in the United States, and what we're going to do about it.” [53:04]

  “Envisioning a connected, engaged world where everyone feels like they belong, where women are empowered, where women are paid equally...and soccer as a solution.” —Danielle Slayton [53:25]

Abby’s Reflection on Women’s Sports Community [54:12]

“The first Angel City game this year was the first time my body took a breath. Here are my people...women’s sports is one of the best ways in order for us to show up in community and learn how to be together again.” —Abby Wambach [54:03]

5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “We just have to act and beg for forgiveness later. This is the most incredible story of this that I’ve ever heard.” —Abby Wambach on the 50/50 pledge [22:27]
• “It’s not a great day yet...less than 6% of the Fortune 500 is still investing in women’s sports.” —Andrea Brimmer [23:08]
• Playful calls for action: “When I say Ally, you say woop!” [05:45]

6. Minute to Win It Games & Party Antics [55:15–70:41]

• Contagious Competition:
  • Teams: “Slay the Bay” (Slayton, Foudy) vs. “Fearless” (Chastain, Wambach)
  • Events: Blindfold Grape Toss, Tissue Box Twerk, Bucket Toss—the athletes go all out with the crowd’s encouragement, showing their competitive (and hilariously goofy) sides.
• Abby on losing: “Evidently, my hips also don’t lie, ‘cause I won that.” [65:44]
• Winners and losers don party hats; all join for a triumphant party selfie.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On the business case:
  • “It makes good business sense.” —Andrea Brimmer [27:42]
• On industry change:
  • “You had to rewire the industry. The system is not even set up to accept our money...we had to go and create [the media inventory].” —Julie Foudy [24:24]
• On action:
  • “We just have to act and beg for forgiveness later.” —Abby Wambach [22:27]
• On women’s sports community:
  • “Women’s sports is one of the best ways for us to show up in community and learn how to be together again.” —Abby Wambach [54:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:33] – Show intro, live audience welcome
• [05:49] – Party Starter: Women’s Sports Headlines
• [16:18] – Andrea Brimmer Interview Begins
• [20:01] – 50/50 Pledge Origin
• [24:35] – Creating New Media Opportunities
• [27:53] – Rapid-fire Party Questions
• [39:58] – Brandi Chastain & Danielle Slayton Join
• [44:08] – Player-to-Owner Perspective
• [47:11] – On Community Building
• [52:13] – Disruptor Question
• [54:03] – Abby’s Reflection on Community
• [55:15] – Minute to Win It Games Begin
• [70:41] – Hat Ceremony & Closing Group Party Pose

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is upbeat, celebratory, fiercely passionate, and playfully competitive. The live-audience energy, unscripted banter, and spontaneous outbursts (“Woo!”) foster a spirit of inclusion and empowerment. The legendary guests are candid, authentic, and purpose-driven, weaving in humor and heart.

Summary

This NWSL championship weekend episode of Welcome to the Party exemplifies everything the show stands for: raucous joy, insider stories, industry insight, and unwavering advocacy for women’s sports. It lifts the curtain on how courageous leadership and community support are moving the needle for women athletes—on and off the field. If you missed the live event, this episode brings you right into the heart of the action, where the only rule is to “have a sh*t ton of fun.”