In this video interview, Julie Foudy, World Cup soccer champion, Olympic gold medalist, and advocate for gender equality, talks about the perception of Title IX today and how athletics influenced her life.
“I love spending time with Division I athletes, and especially Ivy League Division I athletes,” says Foudy. “They get it. They get that here is this great opportunity of four years of this fabulous education, and I have this wonderful opportunity to play Division I athletics as well.”
Foudy visited Hanover this week as part of a celebration honoring the 40th anniversaries of coeducation at Dartmouth and of Title IX, a law passed in 1972 that requires gender equality for any education program or activity receiving federal funding. The law increased opportunities for women and girls in sports.
“I call it one of the most profound civil rights laws, I think, this country has passed,” she says.
Foudy, making her first trip to Dartmouth, met with student-athletes, President Carol L. Folt, and local media throughout the day, before giving a lively talk to a packed crowd in the Hopkins Center for the Arts’ Alumni Hall. She also signed her fair share of autographs.
Foudy, a retired captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team, is one of the most decorated soccer players in the world. A California native, Foudy began a 17-year career with the national team at age 16, helping win two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals along the way.
Off the pitch, the Stanford University graduate is an outspoken advocate for gender equality. She has served as president of the Women’s Sports Foundation and founded the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy.
