Los Angeles is set to welcome a new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise in 2022, with an ownership group featuring Hollywood stars and sporting legends. The team, currently using the provisional nickname Angel City, will become the 11th franchise in the league.
The eclectic ownership roster includes Oscar-winning actor Natalie Portman, tennis superstar Serena Williams, and her two-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia, as well as Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Former US women’s national team players Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Rachel Buehler, Tisha Venturini-Hoch and Abby Wambach are also involved, alongside actors Eva Longoria, Uzo Aduba, Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain.
Portman, who became involved after the US women’s World Cup victory last year, told the Los Angeles Times: “We wanted to make sure that we brought in incredible partners who were from the soccer world, who are leaders in sport, in tech and business and entertainment because that’s really so much what our city is about.” She added: “It just seems like it was ideal to bring [women’s] soccer to LA because we have such passionate fans here, such robust youth soccer.”
The NWSL saw record attendance last season, with crowds rising 22% following the World Cup victory. Portland Thorns, the best-supported team, averaged more than 20,000 fans per home game. Venture capitalist Kara Nortman noted the timing: “Next year is the Olympics, then we will start, then the following year is the Women’s World Cup. We’re coming in at an ideal time in 2022.”
Six of the current NWSL teams are affiliated with men’s professional clubs, but Angel City does not yet have such a partnership. NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird said southern California was an ideal location for expansion, citing the existing fanbase and interest in women’s football. The team joins a tradition of celebrity-backed LA soccer, with LAFC counting actor Will Ferrell, NBA legend Magic Johnson and Hamm among its owners.
