As preparations continue ahead of their hotly-anticipated debut in the National Women’s Soccer League, Angel City FC have added yet more star power to their celebrity-heavy ownership group.
The NWSL’s newest franchise has added a raft of new investors in the expansion club’s latest round of funding, including pop star Christina Aguilera, Olympic gold-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson East, author Jay Shetty and fashion designer Rachel Zoe.
City’s ever-expanding portfolio of famous co-owners also includes Hollywood actor Gabrielle Union and her young daughter Kaavia James. James, whose father is former NBA star Dwyane Wade, is described by City as a “three-year-old influencer” with almost 2 million followers on Instagram.
It’s likely that Kaavia James is now the youngest football club owner in the world, easily eclipsing the group of 19-year-olds who took over at Walton & Hersham, a semi-professional non-league club in England in 2019.
The eclectic mix of new investors now sit alongside the likes of Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Serena Williams and ESPN analyst and columnist Julie Foudy as part of the Angel City family.
In a wider sense, Angel City make up part of an increasing number of soccer clubs who have famous faces as part of their ownership. Whether it is ex-footballers like David Beckham (Inter Miami CF), dominant athletes in other sports like Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC), Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union) and LeBron James (Liverpool), music icons like Elton John (formerly the chairman of Watford) or Hollywood stars like Ryan Reynolds (Wrexham) or Will Ferrell (LAFC), club ownership is becoming an increasingly appealing proposition to celebrities.
It might be a passion for the sport, a personal connection, strictly business or, frankly, just because they can, but we are seeing more and celebs dipping their toes into football ownership for all sorts of reasons. In that vein, we looked at other celebrities who have ownership stakes in football clubs around the world.
