The News Is Here!

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#NWSL is coming to the City of Angels 🤩 // Expansion group hails from Hollywood, technology, venture, media and sports sector, including fourteen former @uswnt players. (Full news at the link in our bio)

A post shared by National Women's Soccer League (@nwsl) on Jul 21, 2020 at 5:41am PDT

The National Women's Soccer League announced that a majority woman-founded group led by Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman was awarded the franchise for a Los Angeles expansion team. The franchise will be the 11th team to join the eight-year-old league.

According to the NWSL site, the contributors include consortium President Julie Uhrman, the founding investor group includes Serena Williams and daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, and Eva Longoria, late night talk show host Lilly Singh, former US Women's National Team players including twelve representing Southern California including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Buehler, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini Hoch, and Saskia Webber, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA World Cup Champions Lauren Cheney Holiday and Abby Wambach, author and activist Glennon Doyle, Netflix VP Original Content Cindy Holland, tech entrepreneur and filmmaker Casey Neistat, Founding Board Member of Baby2Baby Sabina Nathanson, Media Executive David Nathanson, Baby2Baby Co-President Norah Weinstein and Bad Robot President and COO Brian Weinstein.

Women's Soccer Is Looking Up 

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I’m proud to be in a group including: Kara Nortman, Julie Uhrman, @alexisohanian, @serenawilliams, @uzoaduba, @jessicachastain, @americaferrera, @jennifer.garner, @evalongoria, @lilly, @glennondoyle — plus 14 former @uswnt soccer players, including Mia Hamm and @abbywambach — who have come together to build a team for LA. We can’t wait to bring positive change on and off the field! #LFG @weareangelcity

A post shared by Natalie Portman (@natalieportman) on Jul 21, 2020 at 9:24am PDT

When asked about where the idea came to life, founder Kara Nortman explained in a post from The National Women's Soccer League:

"In response to fan-driven demand for an NWSL team in the region and inspiration from the USWNT 2019 performance on-and off-the-field, the founders undertook the endeavor to secure the rights to the group: "We took this as an opportunity to listen, talk to players, union reps, presidents and owners to develop a totally new playbook of how to build a professional sports team where mission and capital, entertainment and sport, were equally important."

MWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird chimed in on the importance growing the NWSL, saying:

"The growth trajectory of the NWSL is incredibly exciting, but we also need to be strategic and thoughtful about how fast we expand and the communities we partner with. We've long sought the right partner in LA considering the NWSL fanbase that already exists in the region and the massive interest in women's soccer in general. Those factors, along with an incredible ownership group make this an ideal situation and we couldn't be more thrilled to move forward."

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Welcome to the beginning #WeAreAngelCity

A post shared by Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian) on Jul 21, 2020 at 11:00am PDT

Lead founding investor and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian shared the excitement about the news, saying:

"I am proud to be a part of this wonderful group working to bring a women's professional football club to Los Angeles. Chiefly, because I'm a fan of the game, but also because I believe there is massive potential for the sport and it's been undervalued by too many people for far too long. As someone who spends hours kicking around a football with my two-year-old daughter, I want her to have a front row seat to this revolution. I'm personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women's sports is important to my wife and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter."