Star-studded investment group announces NWSL expansion team in L.A.

Angel City FC will join the league in 2022, and we’re already big hype. 

Los Angeles has finally joined the NWSL and they’re doing it in style.

On Tuesday, an investment group that combines former soccer superstars like Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm with Hollywood talent like Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria, announced that Los Angeles will be taking to the pitch in the 2022 NWSL season. The new club, Angel City FC, presented themselves as a force for change in the world and asked fans to be part of that change.

“Today we take an exciting step by announcing the first women majority-owned and led ownership group,” Natalie Portman said. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to partner with this incredible group of people to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Los Angeles. Together, we aim to build not only a winning team on the field, but also to develop a passionately loyal fan base. We also hope to make a substantive impact on our community, committing to extending access to sports for young people in Los Angeles through our relationship with the LA84 Foundation. Sports are such a joyful way to bring people together, and this has the power to make tangible change for female athletes both in our community and in the professional sphere.”

Angel City FC: Who is in the ownership group?

There are a long list of names in the Angel City FC ownership group.

Some of the former soccer stars on the list include Mia Hamm, Lori Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Lauren Holiday, Rachel van Hollebeke, Angela Hucles, Tisha Venturini-Hoch, Shannon MacMillan, Abby Wambach, and Saskia Webber.

There are also many celebrities, including actresses Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Uzo Aduba, and Jennifer Garner, Late Night Host and YouTuber Lilly Singh, Netflix VP of original content Cindy Holland, and author Glennon Doyle. Alexis Ohanian, the wife of tennis superstar Serena Williams and co-founder of Reddit, is also involved alongside his wife and two-year-old daughter.

The ownership group will be the first majority-female ownership group in the league.