An ownership group in Los Angeles is in the midst of expansion talks with the NWSL to bring professional women’s soccer to California for the first time in over a decade.
While the deal isn’t across the finish line yet, a limited liability company named WFC LA, Inc. has been established in Delaware — and it has submitted a Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation form to the Secretary of State of California that would allow them to “transact intrastate business in California.”
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The primary name on the filing is Julie Uhrman, who is listed as CEO & president of WFC LA, Inc. on the trademark applications. Based on the common address across all of these forms, WFC LA also has a base of operations located in the city. The Athletic understands that multiple other parties are involved in the ownership group, but it is not yet known who else is involved.
A serial entrepreneur, Uhrman has advised multiple startups, mostly in the world of gaming and digital media. While her social media feeds have been dominated by posts about the U.S. national team and the NWSL, her role as a spearhead for the expansion effort is a bit of a surprise; most NWSL observers expected that if the league were to expand to LA, it would be one of the city’s two MLS teams that would do it. A source with knowledge of the expansion talks confirmed that one of the two LA MLS teams is expected to still be involved as part of the expansion efforts, however. That involvement will likely be as an operating partner for the team, but may also include an ownership stake as well.
We out here supporting @USWNT with our message: Bring @NWSL To LA.#BringNWSLtoLA#NWSL pic.twitter.com/pOuzfTZC9y
— NWSL_LA (@NWSL_LA) February 8, 2020
Uhrman and the ownership group have also taken initial steps toward branding the potential expansion team, and appears to have a leading candidate for a name. WFC LA, Inc. filed two trademark applications earlier in May for Angel City FC – one for “entertainment in the nature of soccer games” and the other for “clothing, namely T-shirts, (and) jerseys.” The same applications were also filed under the name Angel City Football Club. These filings do not guarantee this would be the name chosen for the team.
“We’re committed to growing our league and expanding our reach into every region in the country,” a spokesperson for the NWSL said on Wednesday. “We continue to have meaningful discussions with a number of potential expansion markets and look forward to sharing more when it’s the appropriate time.”
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The paperwork to formalize the expansion deal with the NWSL still needs to be agreed to and signed by Uhrman and the ownership group. The Athletic understands the LA group was waiting, both to see how the preparation for the Challenge Cup was handled by commissioner Lisa Baird and the league, as well as to avoid having an expansion announcement overshadow news of the tournament itself. But with the Challenge Cup officially set to begin for June 27th along with major new sponsorships by Procter & Gamble, Secret and Verizon, the talks between the potential expansion team and the league have remained productive.
“Hopefully we’ll have news soon,” Baird told Grant Wahl in an episode of his “Fútbol” podcast, released on Tuesday. “You kind of have this expectation in this economy and with COVID that everything just stops, right? I would say, no one was more surprised than me to be engaging in these conversations. We’ll have some new news on that, and I think it’s going to be exciting to soccer fans who really want the NWSL to come to their market.”
There has been tangible support for a team from women’s soccer fans in Los Angeles. Supporters have created a Twitter account specifically to call for a LA expansion team and started a change.org petition, which was shared at one point by actress Natalie Portman. Los Angeles was also the leading expansion candidate fans said they’d like to see in The Athletic’s NWSL Supporter Survey, conducted earlier this year.
Oh hey Natalie Portman sharing @NWSL_LA — it’s like a special crossover episode of a few of my favorite things. #NWSL pic.twitter.com/rtwfaAR5bB
— Jacqueline Purdy (@JacquelinePurdy) March 10, 2020
The fans, though, have largely looked to Los Angeles FC for their expansion hopes rather than expecting an independent bid, thanks in part to Mia Hamm’s involvement in the LAFC ownership group.
The NWSL is already planning to add a tenth team in 2021, with an entry from USL club Louisville City FC. The team is currently undergoing a brand refresh after the first concept, Proof Louisville FC (along with a rebrand of the USL team) failed to click. Sacramento Republic FC, fresh off joining MLS, were also reported to be in the mix for 2020 NWSL expansion, potentially with lower-division club the California Storm playing a role as well — though in the end no announcement was made.
Los Angeles has not been home to a women’s professional soccer club since the folding of the WPS’s LA Sol in January 2010.
(Photo: Apu Gomes/ AFP via Getty Images)
Meg Linehan is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the U.S. women's national team, the National Women's Soccer League and more. She also hosts the weekly podcast "Full Time with Meg Linehan." Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan
