O’Melveny Advises Angel City Football Club in Sprouts Sponsorship
March 18, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES—March 18, 2021—O’Melveny is advising Angel City Football Club, the professional National Women’s Soccer League team in Los Angeles, in connection with its sponsorship agreement with Sprouts Farmers Market, a healthy grocer and one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country.
The sponsorship was announced on March 18.
In what is the retailer’s first commitment to women’s professional soccer, Sprouts is now Angel City’s founding, exclusive back-of-jersey sponsor. The team’s jerseys—along with team colors, crest, and logoed-merchandise—will be revealed in Summer 2021.
As part of the agreement, Sprouts and Angel City will reallocate a portion of funds to local causes that address and provide children’s nutrition education and fresh food access throughout Los Angeles.
This is the second jersey sponsorship deal that O’Melveny has advised on for Angel City. In February, O’Melveny advised Angel City in connection with its front-of-jersey sponsorship agreement with DoorDash.
O’Melveny has represented Angel City since its inception in 2020, advising the team’s initial group of founders—including Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist, 776 founder & Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. O’Melveny helped the founders bring Angel City into the National Women’s Soccer League and has also advised in equity financing, intellectual property, and sponsorship and other commercial matters.
The O’Melveny team representing Angel City in the Sprouts sponsorship included partner and Sports Industry Group Co-Chair Chuck Baker, counsel Eric Geffner, and associates Alexandra Piarino and Luisa Lizoain.
O’Melveny’s Sports Industry Group handles many of the legal matters that draw coverage in sports pages everywhere—billion-dollar acquisitions and dispositions of professional sports teams; cutting-edge media and licensing arrangements; stadium development, financings and naming rights; sponsorships and endorsements; strategic joint ventures; and high profile litigation and other disputes.
About O’Melveny
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Contact:
Brandon JacobsenO’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 213 430 8024
bjacobsen@omm.com
Angel City Football Club issued the following press release:
March 18, 2021
ANGEL CITY FC AND SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET PARTNER FOR BACK-OF-JERSEY SPONSORSHIP
ACFC AND LEADING HEALTHY GROCER PARTNER TO BRING NUTRITION EDUCATION AND FRESH FOOD ACCESS THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES (March 18, 2021) ‒ Angel City Football Club (ACFC) today announced Sprouts Farmers Market, a healthy grocer and one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, as the team’s founding back-of-jersey sponsor. This sponsorship marks Sprouts’ first commitment to women’s professional soccer, and a step towards providing for the broader Los Angeles community.
Through this sponsorship, Sprouts and ACFC will reallocate a portion of funds to local causes that address and provide children’s nutrition education and fresh food access throughout Los Angeles. This is a cause that Sprouts and the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation doubled down on last year through the support of programs offering emergency food assistance.
As the team’s exclusive back-of-jersey sponsor, the Sprouts logo will adorn the lower back of ACFC’s official jerseys and merchandise, including home and away jerseys, all authentic and replica first-team jerseys available to fans, and any special edition first-team jerseys. Fans will get their first look at the team colors, crest, jerseys, and logoed-merchandise this summer as we get ready for the 2022 inaugural season.
In addition to the logo, Sprouts and ACFC agreed on an empowerment phrase that will proudly display above the player’s name on the jersey’s back. The phrase represents the spirit of ACFC and highlights the shared commitment to igniting higher expectations on and off the field.
“Sprouts is the place where goodness grows, offering delicious foods that nourish families and athletes. We are excited to work with Angel City to build and grow projects that will lead to health benefits in the communities that we are privileged to serve,” said Jack Sinclair, Sprouts Chief Executive Officer.
“Together, we will create greater access to healthy foods across Los Angeles and beyond. Inspiring people to have a deeper understanding of the role that healthy eating plays in their lives,” said Sinclair.
On March 20, ACFC and Sprouts will put their partnership into action with a community-based project, refreshing a school garden site at Arroyo Seco Museum Science Magnet with EnrichLA. The refresh will include relocating six existing garden beds, installing new drip irrigation, building picnic tables, and creating an outdoor learning space for students. Along with Sprouts, We’re going beyond logos and endorsements with a shared passion for giving back and supporting local communities.
“Organic school vegetable gardens are a great way to help our young ones start to think about healthy eating,” explained Tomas O’Grady, executive director of EnrichLA. “As a school garden ranger, I have seen students get excited to eat vegetables just because they helped grow them at their school. Through our programs here in LA, kids are learning where their food comes from, how it nourishes their bodies, and how to be caretakers of our planet!”
“We are proud to welcome Sprouts to the ACFC family as our back-of-jersey sponsor and are excited to work alongside them to leverage their knowledge of health and wellness for our players, coaches, and, of course, our fans,” said Julie Uhrman, Co-Founder and President of Angel City FC. “Sprouts prioritizes healthy living and, as we are building our team with a focus on the whole athlete’s health, both physical and mental, we believe they are the perfect fit for Angel City. We can’t wait to get started!”