Southern California’s fledging NWSL team officially has a name and some big-name new investors.
The club formally adopted its working title, Angel City Football Club, according to Julie Uhrman, the team’s founder and president. Its group of owner-investors grew to more than 50 with the addition of tennis legend Billie Jean King and her partner Ilana Kloss; WNBA star Candace Parker and her daughter, Lailaa; NHL star P.K. Subban and fiancée Lindsey Vonn, an Olympic champion skier; actor and talk-show host James Corden; actress and activist Sophia Bush; former Galaxy and U.S. national team star Cobi Jones; and five-time Pro Bowl lineman Ryan Kalil.
The team, which will begin play in 2022 as the first major U.S. professional sports team with a majority-woman ownership group, was founded by Uhrman, actress Natalie Portman and venture capitalist Kara Nortman. Its original investor group, announced in July, includes tennis star Serena Williams and her husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian; 14 former U.S. national team soccer players, among them Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach; and actresses Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera and Jennifer Garner.
Last week Angel City announced a civic-minded sponsorship model that will require its corporate partners to re-allocate 10% of the value of their sponsorships to local causes.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.