Soccer mom–approved

The GIST: Actress and Angel City FC (ACFC) investor Jennifer Garner is wielding the power of the highest-valued NWSL team to promote her other ventures. On Tuesday, ACFC announced a multiyear partnership with Garner’s children’s nutrition company, Once Upon a Farm.

• The investment move could spark a trend of entrepreneurial NWSL investors — such as fellow ACFC owner Alexis Ohanian — utilizing teams to promote their other enterprises. Soccer mom–approved.

The deal: Starting in 2025, Once Upon a Farm will be a team-level partner and the club’s exclusive partner for healthy kids’ snacks, as well as the presenting partner for the club’s “Rising Stars” web series. Plus, per ACFC’s unique sponsorship model, 10% of the deal will help increase soccer programming access for women and gender nonconforming athletes.

The alignment: The deal — which is the first sports sponsorship for the nutrition brand — demonstrates further overlap between Garner’s ACFC involvement and the team’s back-of-the-jersey sponsorship with health food supermarket Sprouts Farmers Market, which carries Once Upon a Farm products. All three companies have prioritized kids’ access to nutrition and healthy living.

The trend: Promoting a healthy lifestyle and keeping girls in the game is on brand for ACFC, but it’s likely no coincidence that Garner’s company is partnering with her team. With the increase in celebrity investors and private equity–owned stakes, it only makes sense to cross-promote companies to get products in front of a new, engaged audience.

• Similarly, ACFC founder and actress Natalie Portman executive produced an HBO docuseries about the team, while Ohanian produced The Offseason, an upcoming reality TV series featuring former ACFC defender Paige Nielsen. A true crossover episode.

The GIST: Recent investment in the UK’s Women’s Super League (WSL) — from the development of NewCo to expanded broadcast deals — has led to immediate and explosive ROI. According to new Deloitte data from the 2022-23 season (following England’s 2022 Euros win), the aggregate revenue of WSL clubs rose 50% to $50.8M. Here’s more from the game-changing report.

💰 Average club revenue increased 50% in just two seasons, from $3.4M in 2020-21 to $5.1M in 2022-23. The report also found that commercial revenue ($21.6M) generated 35% of the league’s 2022-2023 total revenue, followed by broadcasting deals ($9.1M), then matchday attendance ($8.9M).

• This substantial commercial revenue came from partners like Barclays, the UK bank that became a league sponsor in 2019. Since then, Barclays has more than quadrupled its initial title sponsorship investment.

🏆 The top four revenue-generating clubs brought in a combined 66% of WSL revenue — Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. And in terms of commercial revenue, four WSL clubs brought in commercial revenues exceeding $2M: Man U ($6.6M), Man City ($4.6M), Liverpool ($3.8M), and Tottenham Hotspur ($2.2M). Man’s is hot.

🏟️ Average attendance in 2022-23 jumped to 5.6K, up nearly 200% from 2020-21. Since then, it’s risen even further with cumulative attendance in the WSL and second-tier Women’s Championship surpassing 1M for the first time ever last season.

• Part of this is due to the WSL’s recent ability to flex games into Premier League stadiums. Arsenal broke the WSL attendance record three times during the 2023-24 season, all when hosting games at the 60K-capacity Emirates Stadium instead of its 4.5K-seater Meadow Park home venue.

Zooming out: The WSL is still experiencing growing pains in the form of increased pre-tax losses, but the players are on a path toward greener pastures. Deloitte predicts the WSL generated $66.1M in the 2023-24 season and will finish the 2024-25 season with $86.4M in revenue.

• Rising revenue from higher attendance and expanded TV deals gives the WSL improved leverage for a bigger media rights deal and more strategic growth plans. Sky’s the limit.

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You already know that the increased attention on and investment in women’s sports is a movement, not a moment — and Gainbridge, a leader in the digital financial services space, is going all in. They’re hosting their second annual Parity Week and celebrating by providing game-changing $5K grants for women’s sports.

• Every dollar counts in supporting girls and women in sports. If you or someone you know has a women’s sports passion project that needs a financial boost, apply for a grant and let Gainbridge give you the assist you deserve.