espnW Signs Julie Foudy to Multiyear Contract, Strengthening Roster of Distinctive Voices

espnW has signed commentator, reporter and former international soccer star Julie Foudy to a new multiyear contract, as part of espnW's expanding roster of experienced and distinctive voices. Foudy will now have a much more prominent role for espnW, serving as the brand's primary representative at major sporting events including the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, future Olympic Games, the Special Olympics and NCAA Championships. She will also continue to be a central figure at The espnW: Women + Sports Summit, which is held annually.

Foudy's first assignments in this new capacity included participating in ESPN's College Football Playoff National Championship Megacast, and at X Games Aspen, where she hosted the launch of espnW.com's new interview series Voices of the Future, which spotlights the brightest young stars in sports. The series grew out of the success of an espnW Summit panel that Foudy has hosted for the past five years. She will also be the lead voice during ESPN's news and information coverage of the upcoming Women's World Cup in Canada - across espnW, as well as on ESPN's flagship program, SportsCenter.

"espnW has been an influential force for women in sports over the last five years," said Foudy. "W consistently produces engaging content that matters to women, and I'm looking forward to regularly contributing to that effort."

"Julie is a household name who has built on her own athletic successes to become a versatile, knowledgeable journalist, making significant contributions across ESPN and espnW," said Alison Overholt, editor-in chief, espnW. "Moreover, she knows instinctively those connections -- between sports and confidence, sports and leadership, sports and future success in the world -- that underpin who we are at espnW. We will benefit tremendously from having Julie join us as a major part of the team."

espnW's corps of writers and reporters includes columnists Kate Fagan, Jane McManus and Sarah Spain, former ESPN The Magazine writer Allison Glock and veteran reporters Graham Hays, Michelle Smith and Mechelle Voepel.

Foudy previously served as a writer and contributor to espnW on several initiatives, including the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and past Olympic Games.

She also has worked as a features reporter on the U.S. Men's and Women's National Soccer Teams during World Cups and international matches, and reporter/host for ESPN studio programs - SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, First Take. She has also served as a studio analyst for the 2014 FIFA World Cup - the most-watched FIFA World Cup in the U.S. In 2010, she was a general assignment reporter for ESPN and ABC's critically acclaimed presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

She has also been the lead television voice (studio and game analyst) for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC's coverage of the quadrennial FIFA Women's World Cups.

Foudy made her ESPN debut - at the top of her playing career - in a critically acclaimed role as a studio analyst for ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup from France. She was also studio analyst for ESPN's unprecedented coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 08).

She was a midfielder for the U.S. Women's National Team from 1987 through 2004, serving as the team's captain from 2000 through her retirement. In her 17-year national team tenure, the U.S. women won two FIFA Women's World Cup titles (1991, 1999), captured two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004), and the silver medal in 2000 - en-route to becoming one of the most successful national soccer teams ever in the sport.

Foudy's retirement, ending a remarkable international soccer career with 272 matches, along with fellow women's soccer legends Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett marked the end of what was generally known as the "golden era" of women's soccer in the United States. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in August 2007.

A former president of the Women's Sports Foundation (2000-02), Foudy received the 1997 FIFA Fair Play Award for her trip earlier that year to Pakistan to examine the working conditions of factories of her then-sponsor, Reebok. A four-time All-American at Stanford and the 1991 Soccer America Player of the Year, Foudy was graduated in 1993, having earned a bachelor's degree in biology. She turned down an admission into Stanford Medical School to pursue a career in sports.

About espnW

espnW serves women who love sports. espnW.com provides an engaging environment that offers total access to female athletes and the sports they play, takes fans inside the biggest events, and shares a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter most to women. Founded in July 2010, espnW lives across digital, television, films, events, educational platforms and social media. The annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit is the leading event of its kind in the sports industry.