Briana Scurry
- Legendary U.S. Goalkeeper
- Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist
- World Cup Champion
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$15,000 - $20,000
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 - $10,000
Travels From
District of Columbia
Briana Scurry Speaker Biography
With an integral role on the team that set the standard for women’s soccer, Briana Scurry is widely recognized as one of the world’s most talented and influential goalkeepers. Her 173 international appearances as one of the first African-American professional female soccer players helped significantly diversify the sport.
Named starting goalkeeper for the United States Women’s National Team in 1994, she led the team on an illustrious run that included two Olympic gold medals. In the 1999 FIFA World Cup Championship – which represented one of the most seminal events in American athletic history – Briana made the iconic shootout save that carried the United States to victory.
Briana pioneered the first paid professional women’s soccer league as a founding player in 2001. As captain of the Atlanta Beat, she competed in two WUSA Championships. In 2010, Briana suffered a debilitating concussion that led to her retirement. Since then, Briana has repurposed her visibility to become one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders on traumatic brain injuries.
Through her immeasurable impact on the landscape of women’s soccer and American sports culture, Briana received the National Association of Black Journalists’ Sam Lacy Award, inclusion in the United States Women’s National Team’s All-Time Best XI, and a permanent feature as the Title IX exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2017, Briana was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
As one of the first African American and openly LGBT professional female soccer players, Briana Scurry has championed diversity and equality throughout her legendary career. The epitome of a team player with a palpable love of the game, Briana draws on her resiliency to advocate for equality, traumatic brain injury awareness, and the development of women’s soccer. Briana channels her ability to overcome obstacles to provide insight on the importance of teamwork, motivation, focus, and strategies for leveraging personal strengths.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE FIELD
In this inspiring narrative, Scurry touches on her own struggles and setbacks, including her experiences as one of the first African American professional female soccer players and one of the only openly LGBT players in the league. Offering deeply personal perspective, she provides audiences with encouragement and wisdom on overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges and the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and remaining true to one’s self.
CONCUSSION AWARENESS: FROM ATHLETE TO ADVOCATE
In 2010 Briana suffered a concussion that not only cut short her incredible soccer career, but hijacked her mind and body. When at the top of her game, Briana could easily tune out 90,000 fans screaming from the stands, and watch the ball with razor sharp focus. But after her concussion, the most mundane tasks became impossible challenges. Her frustration coupled with depression and anxiety pushed Briana to the very brink. It was only through her inner tenacity and unyielding willpower that she was able to claw her way down the road to recovery. Today, several years after her concussion, Briana is fully recovered. She shares her ordeal in order to educate players, coaches, and parents about concussions and uses her position to advocates for better protection for players.
From the field to the desk
Over the course of her legendary career in soccer, Briana had to overcome innumerable obstacles. She parallels the hurdles she faced in her athletic career with real-life challenges many professionals experience, sharing tools for success that are just as applicable in the boardroom as they were on the soccer pitch.
Diversity and Overcoming Obstacles
Briana’s journey has given her a unique perspective, as one the first African American professional female soccer players and one of the only openly LGBT players in the league. Briana is an excellent person to have speak on diversity as well as overcoming obstacles to achieve your dream.
