CHICAGO - The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced today the list of 2016 NWSL Awards featuring the Golden Boot, Most Valuable Player, Defender of the Year presented by Coppertone® from Bayer's Consumer Health Division, Goalkeeper of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Best XI. The 2016 NWSL Awards will be voted upon in two rounds with fans once again participating in the voting process.
In the Preliminary Round, owners, general managers, coaches, players and the media will vote on the individual awards from Sept. 22 to Sept. 26 to determine the top finalists. The fans will then join the voting for the Final Round from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29 to determine the individual award winners and Best XI.
Voting Breakdown:
Preliminary Round: Owners/GMs/Coaches (25%), Media (25%) and Players (50%)
Final Round: Fans (20%), Owners/GMs/Coaches (20%), Media (20%) and Players (40%)
Fans are encouraged to support their favorite players via Facebook and Twitter using the hash tags: #NWSLMVP, #NWSLDOY, #NWSLGOY, #NWSLROY, #NWSLCOY and #NWSLBestXI.
All 2016 NWSL Award winners will be announced in the days leading up to the NWSL Championship game on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Below is the complete awards announcement schedule.
2016 NWSL Awards - Announcement Schedule:
Monday, Sept. 26: Golden Boot (#NWSLGB)
Monday, Oct. 3: Coach of the Year (#NWSLCOY) and Rookie of the Year (#NWSLROY)
Tuesday, Oct. 4: Goalkeeper of the Year (#NWSLGOY)
Wednesday, Oct. 5: Defender of the Year (#NWSLDOY) presented by Coppertone®
Thursday, Oct. 6: MVP (#NWSLMVP)
Friday, Oct. 7: Best XI and Second XI (#NWSLBestXI)
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a ten-team Division-I women's professional soccer league featuring national team players from around the world. The clubs are the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, FC Kansas City, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash.
Based in Chicago, the NWSL is sponsored by Coppertone®. The brand supported the U.S. Women's National Team on its journey to the FIFA Women's World Cup last year, teaming up with player Kelley O' Hara in an effort to educate athletes and soccer fans about sun protection on and off the field. As part of an ongoing partnership, Bayer, the maker of Coppertone®, continues to support the NWSL and its players throughout the season.
For more information about the NWSL, log on to the league's official website at www.NWSLsoccer.com.
