By Ashley J. Williams 
The club announced Wednesday that Angel City will become the most valuable professional women’s sports team in the world after signing a groundbreaking ownership agreement with Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay.
Iger and Bay will become the majority owners of Los Angeles-based Angel City in a sale that will bring the club’s value to million. This figure exceeds the million that the Levin Leichtman family paid for the March wave in San Diego, which at the time was a record price for a national women’s Soccer League team.
Natalie Portman wanted to change the football culture. He after founded the Angel City Football Club
“The CFC and these great athletes are already making a huge impact on the NWSL, women’s soccer and the Los Angeles community,” Bay said in a statement. “With this investment of resources and capital, we hope to accelerate the growth of the club and the NWSL.”
The sale, which is still subject to league approval, will prompt Iger and Bay to invest an undisclosed amount, of which million will be used as a capital injection to fund the club’s future growth.
“We know that [Bay and Iger] are the right partners to help us usher in this new era: they are committed to further strengthening the CFAAF’s position as an outstanding organization and brand in women’s sports and are committed to the team’s broader mission, including promoting women’s sports.” justice for athletes and companies founded by women,” the CFC board of directors said in a statement.
Bay will have full control over the club’s board of directors, which will continue to include former club owner and Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, actress Natalie Portman, entrepreneur Julie Urman and early investor Gillian Berry.
The club was founded in 2020 by Portman, Urman and venture capitalist Kara Northman and has many small investors, including retired athletes Billie Jean King, Abby Wambach and Lindsey Vonn, as well as actresses Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria.
“Actually, this is just the beginning. I look forward to continuing this investment and turning Angel City into a brand that I know can become the largest brand in any women’s professional sport,” Ohanian told Reuters this year.
Angel City has gained many business partners and season ticket holders, and has been playing with full stadiums since its inaugural season in 2022. In 2023, the club had the highest revenue of any women’s team in the world, surpassing the NWSL in sponsorship and total revenue. Angel City’s home attendance was also the second highest in the league, with the club averaging 19,756 fans per game.
However, this season the team has faced difficulties on the field: it occupies 11th place in the NWSL standings, three points behind a place in the playoffs.