Delran, NJ, to throw retirement party for Carli Lloyd

One of New Jersey’s most decorated athletes, soccer star Carli Lloyd, announced her retirement last month and now her home town is planning on giving her a huge sendoff.

According to CBS 3 Philadelphia, the celebration will be held on Oct. 14 and will include fireworks, live music, food trucks, and more.

Delran mayor, Gary Catrambone told CBS 3: “Carli is an inspiration to young athletes and children everywhere, but especially here at home in Delran. We have all watched her tenacity and hard work from the time she was a little girl, and we really wanted to show our appreciation.”

The former Rutgers star is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who scored the winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 gold medal games; she participated in four Olympics in total, including winning a bronze medal this past summer in Tokyo. She also made more than 300 appearances for the national team. She is the highest paid female soccer player in the world.

She is quoted by CBS 3 as being thankful she grew up where she did: “Growing up in Delran was an amazing experience for me. I formed so many friendships and memories, and it helped lay the foundation for my path of becoming a professional soccer player.” She added that she is “especially grateful to be able to come back and have a celebration with everyone in town at the end of my sixteen-year career.”

The exact venue for the celebration hasn’t been announced yet.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.