On June 29, 2026, the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) teamed up with Athlete Ally and U.S. Soccer to host Pride on the Pitch, a fireside chat celebrating the intersection of the FIFA World Cup in Atlanta and Pride Month. Hundreds of Atlanta residents and visitors gathered at State Farm Arena as National Soccer Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic gold medalist Briana Scurry sat down with Athlete Ally Founder and Executive Director Hudson Taylor.
Stream the conversation:
In 1996, as Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, Briana Scurry helped lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to the first Olympic gold medal ever awarded in women’s soccer — in front of a record-setting crowd at Sanford Stadium, in a moment that changed the sport forever. Thirty years later, the world returned, and so did she.
“The Atlanta Games gave me one of the proudest moments of my career. To come back during a World Cup summer — and during Pride Month — to talk about what we’re building for the next generation of LGBTQ+ athletes feels like a full-circle moment I’ll never take for granted,”
said Scurry.
Scurry is one of the most decorated goalkeepers in the history of the game. Her career spans two Olympic gold medals, the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship, and a 2017 induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, where she became the first Black woman and the first openly gay player ever enshrined.
“Briana didn’t just change what was possible on the field — she changed what was possible for athletes who refuse to hide who they are. At a moment when LGBTQ+ athletes are under real attacks, Athlete Ally is proud to stand with the people of Atlanta in highlighting Bri’s story, and the story of so many like her around the world,”
said Taylor.
During the evening, the Steering Committee of the Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center Initiative presented AFCRA Executive Director Kerry Stewart with the inaugural Lynn Barfield Ally of the Year Award, citing his unwavering dedication to the initiative’s success — consistently going above and beyond to advance the mission and ensure the team has the resources it needs to make an LGBTQ+ community center in Atlanta a reality.
“Atlanta has always called itself the city too busy to hate, and this summer, with the World Cup and Pride Month converging, we get to prove it. As we work to build Atlanta’s next-generation LGBTQ+ community center, a night like this is a preview of the belonging we’re trying to make permanent,”
said Stewart.
Pride on the Pitch was the first programmatic preview from the Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center Initiative — a bold effort to create a permanent home for connection, care, and community. Led by AFCRA, the initiative brings together public, private, and community partners to build a space worthy of Atlanta.
Event partners included Showcase Atlanta and All Stripes. The full conversation can be streamed at vimeo.com/1206262986.