O’Melveny Helps Guide Angel City Football Club to Secure National Women’s Soccer League Expansion Slot
October 21, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES—October 21, 2020—O’Melveny client Angel City announced today that it has been formally welcomed into the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) as the League's eleventh expansion team. O’Melveny represented the team in securing the exclusive right to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Los Angeles and related equity financing, intellectual property, and commercial matters.
As part of today’s announcement, team Founder and President Julie Uhrman confirmed the team's formal name as Angel City Football Club (ACFC).
In July 2020, Angel City announced its 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.
Today, the team officially welcomes a new group of founding investors including sports icons Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, WNBA legend Candace Parker and her daughter Lailaa, Gold Medalist and Alpine Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn, Gold Medalist and NHL-All Star PK Subban, Latin pop superstar Becky G, actress and activist Sophia Bush, private investor, Deirdre DeLany, actor and late night host James Corden, MLS/US Soccer legend and sports broadcaster Cobi Jones, and NFL All-Pro Ryan Kalil.
Angel City FC is committed to extending access to sports for youth in Los Angeles. ACFC has developed a relationship with the LA84 Foundation - a highly-respected community relations organization focused specifically on youth and sports in Los Angeles. LA84 tirelessly advocates for the vital role sports participation plays in positive youth development.
“This is a ground-breaking and inspiring moment—not only for United States soccer, but for the entire sports world. As the newest member of the National Women’s Soccer League, Angel City Football Club is helping to close the gender gap in professional sports ownership,” said O’Melveny partner and Sports Industry Group co-chair Charles (Chuck) Baker, who is leading the firm’s work for the team, along with O’Melveny counsel Eric Geffner.
The O’Melveny team representing Angel City also includes partner Chris Del Rosso, special counsel Scott Pink, counsel Alex Chester and Aaron Cha, as well as 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.
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Contact:
Brandon Jacobsen
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 213 430 8024
bjacobsen@omm.com
Angel City Football Club issued the following press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANGEL CITY CONFIRMS NAME AS ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB AND OFFICIALLY JOINS NATIONAL WOMEN'S SOCCER LEAGUE
Angel City FC Also Welcomes Additional Investors with Ties to Los Angeles Including Sports Icons Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, WNBA Legend Candace Parker and her Daughter Lailaa, Gold Medalist and Alpine Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn, Gold Medalist and NHL-All Star PK Subban , Latin Pop Superstar Becky G, Actress and Activist Sophia Bush, Actor and Late Night Host James Corden, MLS/US Soccer legend and Sports Broadcaster Cobi Jones, NFL All-Pro Ryan Kalil, Media Investor and MLS Co-Owner Ben Grossman, Private Investor, Deirdre DeLany, and Media Executive Brian Sullivan
LOS ANGELES (October 21, 2020) -- Professional women's soccer team, Angel City, today announced that the team has been formally welcomed into The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) as the League's eleventh expansion team. Also, Founder and President Julie Uhrman confirmed the team's formal name as Angel City Football Club (ACFC). In celebration of the momentous occasion, ACFC unveiled the team wordmark and launched the debut collection of Angel City FC merchandise at www.angelcity.com.
"We could not be more pleased to have reached this exciting milestone of officially joining the league and introducing the world to Angel City Football Club," said Julie Uhrman , ACFC Founder and President. "I am also thrilled to announce some additional founding investors who have already been contributing meaningfully to the Angel City Family. This group, aligned in our passion and purpose, is committed to delivering for Los Angeles and our fans on and off the pitch.”
EXPANSION OF FOUNDING INVESTOR GROUP
In July 2020, the NWSL announced that it had awarded the exclusive right to bring a team to LA to a 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.
Today, the team officially welcomes a new group of founding investors including sports icons Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss , WNBA legend Candace Parker and her daughter Lailaa, Gold Medalist and Alpine Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn , Gold Medalist and NHL-All Star PK Subban , Latin pop superstar Becky G , actress and activist Sophia Bush, private investor, Deirdre DeLany, actor and late night host James Corden , MLS/US Soccer legend and sports broadcaster Cobi Jones, and NFL All-Pro Ryan Kalil.
Billie Jean King: "We need everyone to invest in women’s sports and Ilana and I are proud to stand with the Angel City FC ownership group and help make new history in Southern California sports. Angel City's mission to make an impact on and off-the field, and to provide an opportunity to some of the best professional female athletes in the world to play on a stage as powerful as Los Angeles, sends a strong message to young girls in the community and beyond.”
The group is also joined by MLS Co-Owner and investor Ben Grossman, media executive Brian Sullivan and private investor, Deirdre DeLany, and several business, media and entertainment executives including Rachael Blumberg, Courtney Carter, Glenne Christiaansen, Robyn Farmer, Jeremi Gorman, Sarah Harden, Karin Kildow, Amy Longhi, Hedy Nazarian, Rachael Neumann, Heidi Patel, Jenna Segal, Laela Sturdy, John Brennan, Juan David Borrero and model Jasmine Tookes, Jack Brody and Nicole Gibbs, Doug Sanders , Kathrin Dellago and Doug Dossey, Mark Sheletsky, Jim Shepherd, and George Strompolos, Intersect VC, and Ben Winston.
"On behalf of the NWSL and our member clubs, we are thrilled to officially welcome Angel City Football Club, and this exciting and committed ownership group, to the league," said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. "The soccer community in Southern California is filled with passionate fans of the game and I can't wait to see them rally around their own team and help us continue to grow the NWSL."
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT MAR VISTA FAMILY CENTER
Angel City FC is highly-committed to extending access to sports for youth in Los Angeles. ACFC has developed a relationship with the LA84 Foundation - a highly-respected community relations organization focused specifically on youth and sports in Los Angeles. LA84 tirelessly advocates for the vital role sports participation plays in positive youth development.
In that vein, last week, the Angel City FC team hosted a socially-distanced, drive-up equipment donation rally for families affiliated with the Mar Vista Family Center. Over 60 families were gifted equipment to help kids stay active while homeschooling, including a soccer ball, water bottle, backpack, and some Angel City merchandise, as well as a copy of team founding investor Abby Wambach's newest book, "Wolfpack - Young Readers Edition." The team is now in the midst of a listening tour with local organizations. The tour's goal is to learn more about their missions and needs and determine how we can make a meaningful impact in the short and long-term directly.
FRONT OFFICE AND SOCCER OPERATIONS NEW HIRES
Jessica Smith as Head of Corporate Partnerships. Jessica joins from Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes, where she spent four years overseeing the club's partnership portfolio, sponsorship revenue stream, and strategic partner initiatives. She has held similar roles within the NHL, MLB, and MiLB. For Angel City, her initial focus is to build out the club's partnership portfolio, starting with securing jersey partners - first team, training, and sleeve.
Julie Uhrman: “Last week, to again tangibly demonstrate our commitment to social impact, we unveiled the Angel City FC Sponsorship Model in which we will collaborate with each of our partners to re-allocate 10% of the value of their sponsorship via product, asset, or monetary donation, to local causes. This is something unique in our industry and we hope other teams and leagues will follow our lead.”
Kim McCauley as Director of Recruitment and Analytics. McCauley joins from VOX Media, where she spent eleven years as a soccer reporter and analyst. Her focus is to build player analysis models and databases to ensure the future coach is armed with the tools they need to successfully assemble the team's inaugural squad. She will also work collaboratively to build out the coaching staff and Angel City's playing philosophy.
Catherine Dávila as Head of Community. Catherine brings more than ten years of experience building purpose-driven organizations in women's and girls' soccer. Dávila co-founded LA Villa FC and helped grow it from a single team to the largest amateur women's soccer club in California. Also, she has coached youth club soccer, assisted at Occidental College and US
Soccer regional youth training centers, and ran a youth soccer club, Hollywood FC, all while continuing to build the LA Villa FC community on and off the field. Her focus will be on driving the team's relationship with the Angel City community, including working directly with all supporter groups and affinity organizations. She is also tasked with building a strong relationship with Southern California's youth and adult soccer clubs and clinics and leading all Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, including working with the team's social impact partner LA84.
ABOUT ANGEL CITY
Angel City Football Club is a member of the National Women's Soccer League in the United States and will take the pitch in Spring 2022. The team is founded by 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. Other founding investors, mostly female and with ties to Southern California include Serena Williams and daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., Sports Icons Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, actors Uzo Aduba, Sophia Bush, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, and Eva Longoria, actor and late-night host James Corden, late-night host Lilly Singh, Latin Pop Superstar Becky G, fourteen former US Women's National Team players representing Southern California including Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA World Cup Champions Lauren Cheney Holiday and Abby Wambach, MLS/US Soccer legend and sports broadcaster Cobi Jones, NFL All-Pro Ryan Kalil, WNB Legend Candace Parker, Gold Medalist and Alpine Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn, Gold Medalist and NHL-All Star PK Subban, author and activist Glennon Doyle and entertainment executive David Nathanson. Learn more at www.angelcity.com.