Photo:Brad Smith/isiphotos.com
Brad Smith/isiphotos.com
The team, which has only been playing as part of the professional women’s league for a year, is already one of the most successful in the league. Their fruitful debut season has been attributed to the efforts of star players like Christen Press and Ali Riley.
Gabrielle Union, Kaavia James Union Wade and Dwayne Wade at Angel City FC.courtesy Angel City Football Club
courtesy Angel City Football Club
Portman, an Oscar-winning actress, was prompted to get into sports team ownership in-part due to her work with the Time’s Up movement, which aims to get women paid equally in Hollywood. Beyond that, the decision came as a result of her own children’s affinity for soccer.
“When I saw my son watching the Women’s World Cup with as much enthusiasm and passion as he did the Men’s World Cup, and it made me think what an enormously positive culture shift it would be if the next generation looked up to women’s athletes the way they look up to male athletes,” Portman tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, of the impetus behind the league.
Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria photographed on Aug. 27, 2023.courtesy Angel City Football Club
She also wants the athletes to make money through salary, sponsorship and endorsements, and she knew it would most likely take an almost all-female team behind the team to make sure that happened.
She continues, “Ineverthought I would be involved in a professional sports team. But co-founding ACFC has been one of the great joys of my life,” the mom of two, 42, says. “It’s been incredibly rewarding professionally and personally. It’s really amazing when you hear kids saying that their Christen Press jersey is just as important as theirLeBron Jamesjersey.”
For more on Angel City, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
Co-founder Kara Norton notes that she had three goals in mind when launching the team: “Pay the players. Show the power of the community to pack stadiums to watch women’s athletics. And prove that a women’s team can one day be worth as much as Liverpool.”
Julie Uhrman adds that the success they’ve had so quickly with Angel City proves that women’s sports aren’t just for fun, but that they are actually good business.
“We’ve intentionally built an organization where mission and capital can coexist,” Uhrman says of the team thriving financially. “So everything we do, we think about how are we having a positive impact in the community, how are we driving this sport forward, and how are we deliver an experience that both fans and players deserve.”
Packing the stadiums with fans certainly hasn’t been a problem so far — there are six different Angel City supporter groups, and each have their own songs, chants, drums and banners. All of the founders and investors agree that the games feel safe and supportive for everyone of all backgrounds.
Jennifer Garner and Ali Riley photographed on July 9, 2022.courtesy Angel City Football Club
“I love the drums and pink smoke in the supporter’s section every time we score,” Norton says. “The stadium becomes electric, the high fives fly and you can feel the celebration in every cell in your body.” Celebrity fans include Jane Fonda and Tracee Ellis Ross, and the club’s star investors are usually found down on the pitch, cheering on their team.
America Ferrera photographed on July 1, 2022.Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty
Investor Uzo Aduba says, “There’s such a wide range of fans. We have kids, adults, little boys, grown men, little girls, grown women, older generations, younger generations, mature generations all losing their minds like any other sport. That sport you would think of and watch on television as a kid. It’s so thrilling to just feel that energy at BMO [Stadium]. You can’t fake it, you can’t miss it, and you can’t not get swept up into it. Whether it’s the drumming, the pink smoke or the flags, it’s just powerful. The excitement is so rich and so real. You’re glad to be part of it. You’re just so happy to be there and you want to be a part of the next one and the next one and the next one.”
source: people.com
