Abby Wambach announces retirement; former UF star at ACCENT Speakers Bureau event Nov. 3
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 | Soccer, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Abby Wambach is in demand.
She is also retired.
Abby Wambach announced retirement. She's scored more international goals than any other player in soccer history. pic.twitter.com/gW0nznDAid
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 27, 2015
The U.S. Women's National Team announced Tuesday afternoon that Wambach is retiring in December.
A headliner on the USWNT that won the World Cup over the summer, the former Gators soccer star is scheduled to return to her alma mater on Nov. 3 as the guest speaker at an event hosted by ACCENT Speakers Bureau.
The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 7 and tickets are free and will be available at the Phillips Center box office.
UF students with a valid UF ID can pick up a maximum of two tickets per student starting at noon on Nov. 2. Two tickets per person will be made available to the general public starting at noon on the day of Wambach's speech.
Ted Spiker, chair of UF's Journalism Department, will moderate the event.
Wambach and her USWNT teammates have been extremely busy since their memorable World Cup title, visiting the White House, making appearances on TV talk shows, and for the 35-year-old Wambach, returning to the field.
She was in Orlando on Sunday as the USWNT defeated Brazil 3-1 in an exhibition game before more than 32,000 fans at the Citrus Bowl.
However, on Tuesday Wambach made official her future plans. She is calling it a career after a USWNT match on Dec. 16.
#USWNT legend @AbbyWambach announces retirement at the end of 2015. Read more: https://t.co/mhdWDKqMwg pic.twitter.com/ZGSfmyNZ2G
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) October 27, 2015
Wambach is the all-time women's leading goal scorer in international competition and was inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
She recently headlined a panel at the espnW: Women + Sports Summit and continues to promote the game that has made her a global celebrity in the last few years.
She will continue to do so in retirement.
"I just can't wait to see what this game looks like in 15 years," Wambach said at the espnW event. "And I will make it my damn business to make sure the pay gap has been closed in the meantime."
