The National Women’s Soccer League has joined the roster of Tiffany & Co. trophies. Unveiled on Tuesday, the new NWSL Championship trophy designed by the luxury brand and inspired by the aerodynamic forces of soccer is made of 24-karat gold vermeil and sterling silver.
“This new trophy is the physical manifestation of our commitment to raising the game and creating a league everybody, and most importantly our players, can be proud of. We’re really excited for everyone to get a first look at the Championship in November,” NWSL chief marketing and commercial officer Julie Haddon told WWD. “I’m proud that we could deliver upon something this powerful and poignant and for the players and clubs to be recognized by with such an elegant statement-piece trophy from Tiffany & Co,” she added.
NWSL creative director Maureen Raisch was responsible for the redesign, which comes at an important time for the league. Women’s soccer is experiencing continued growth in viewership and attendance in the U.S. “More than half of our clubs have matched or set new attendance records, sometimes two times or three times throughout the season, and just 10 days ago, one of our matches set a new league record with 34,000+ fans in Seattle for OL Reign versus Washington,” Haddon said.
In June, the total viewership of the league was up 21 percent year-over-year on CBS and up 50 percent in unique streaming viewership on Paramount+. Haddon credits this growth to a few factors, starting with the players. “The NWSL has the most competitive, exhilarating, action-packed entertainment in pro sports today. Our players, who are part of 12 NWSL clubs around the USA, are some of the very best in the world,” she said, adding that soccer is a “preeminent sport worldwide” and its audience “is comprised of one of the young, most diverse fanbase of any sport and it continues to scale nationally and locally in attendance, avidity and viewership.”
Haddon predicts a bright future for the NWSL. “New, leading global brands have come aboard as official league partners who we know will help elevate our brand and our product, and we have experienced ownership groups who are committed to investing in the league across all functions, from the pitch to the front office,” she said.
Tiffany & Co. has 160 years of history in designing and handcrafting some of the world’s most revered sports trophies, including the Vince Lombardi Trophy presented annually at the NFL Super Bowl and the trophies of the U.S. Open Men’s and Women’s Singles tournaments.
The championship trophy and its companion, the most-valued player trophy, will be officially presented on Nov. 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.