LOS ANGELES (US) – Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman and former US women’s national team players have founded an ownership group to give shape to a professional women’s soccer team in Los Angeles from 2022.
The yet-to-be-titled new team was announced by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on Tuesday.
Olympic gold medallists and World champions Lauren Cheney Holiday and Abby Wambach figure among the 14 former national team players in the ownership group, and has named itself “Angel City”.
“Today we take an exciting step by announcing the first women majority-owned and led ownership group,” according to Portman.
“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.”
The Los Angeles team will be the 11th team to join the league of the NWSL and will follow Racing Louisville’s debut in 2021.
“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,” said NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird.
The team is led by venture capitalists Alexis Ohanian and Kara Nortman and entrepreneur Julie Uhrman. Other celebrities in the group include actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, late night talk show host Lilly Singh.
Tennis star Serena Williams is also part of the founding investors group.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.
