LA-based team is spurring US interest ahead of the upcoming World Cup, booking $50 million in committed sponsorship revenue
(Bloomberg) — Rising revenue and investor interest in women’s professional soccer in the US is boosting the profiles of other sports franchises globally, according to the co-founder of the Angel City Football Club.
“I do think the attention that women’s football is getting, whether it’s the Euros or the World Cup or Angel City, more specifically, is having an impact on other sports,” Julie Uhrman said in an interview in Los Angeles for Bloomberg TV’s “Power Players” series.
Backed by a star-studded list of investors such as Natalie Portman, Uzo Aduba, Eva Longoria, Casey Neistat and Jennifer Garner, Angel City has become one of the flagship clubs for the growing National Women’s Soccer League.
The club, which competed its inaugural season of the professional league last year, had a valuation of more than $100 million after a Series A funding round, according to Sportico.
Angel City has booked about $50 million in committed sponsorship revenue, Uhrman said. The club has also sold out the 22,000-seater BMO Stadium — formerly known as the Banc of California Stadium — for home games, with Angel City selling 16,000 season tickets, giving confidence to existing and future NWSL franchises. The team also directs 10% of its sponsorship sales to local community organizations.
“There’s no better investment today than women’s football,” said Uhrman. “Whether that’s as a new owner or as a sponsor, getting behind one of these clubs.”
Enthusiasm for women’s soccer in the U.S. maps directly to the success of the U.S. Women’s National Team, which will defend its World Cup title later this year in Australia and New Zealand. National team players including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Christen Press — who plays for Angel City — have drawn fans to support their respective NWSL teams.
For years, the men’s national team has enjoyed greater media attention, and more money, despite the women’s team having more success on the field than the men’s over the last decade, winning the last two World Cups.
In 2022, a years-long fight from female US soccer players finally resulted in a milestone agreement from the United States Soccer Federation announcing players on the men’s and women’s team will receive equal pay.
“We were very unapologetic in saying that it wasn’t okay,” that female athletes were paid less than male counterparts regardless of their better performance, said Uhrman.
The NWSL is also expanding, including reviving its franchise in Salt Lake City. The league announced March 12 that the Utah Royals will begin playing again in 2024, under the ownership of David Blitzer and Ryan Smith, owners of the Major League Soccer men’s franchise in Salt Lake.
During the next 10 years, annual revenue attributed to women’s European football is set to grow sixfold, to about $698 million, UEFA said in a 2022 report.
“These are the best athletes in the world,” said Uhrman. “The product on the pitch is equal to or better than a lot of their male counterparts in leagues around the world. And you’re starting to see it in real dollars.”
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