“You Have to Really Believe From Day 1” – Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Wants Angel City FC to Be the Best Sports Franchise in the World

Angel City F.C. is a women’s soccer club in the U.S. Established in the year 2020, the soccer club played its first league game in April 2022. The L.A.-based club’s board consists of quite a few high-profile individuals.

Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, is one of them. Also, Israeli – American actress Natalie Portman is an integral part of the club’s founding committee. Earlier this year, Ohanian revealed his long-term ambitions for Angel City F.C.

Due to sports stars like Serena Williams, American fans are more likely to watch women’s sports. However, Angel City’s investors truly believe that women’s soccer will also get to that stage in the years to come.

What are Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, and the other investors’ long-term goals?

One of the main reasons Americans never watched soccer is because it was never promoted well enough to them. Fans in the U.S. always prefer watching tennis or the NBA as the top priority. Angel City F.C. and its owners wanted to change that.

They then decided to build a soccer club from scratch. Every investor was in agreement with the club’s long-term goals. Ohanian told L.A. Times, “You have to really believe from Day 1”.

Ohanian continued, “The goal here is not to be the best club in NWSL. The goal is not to be the best women’s professional sports club. The goal is not to be the best football club, the goal is to be the best sports franchise in the world. I need the bar to be there because like any start-up we invest in, that’s where it has to be”.

Read More: Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Welcomes Sydney Leroux to Angel City Football Club

Angel City F.C. are already off to a great start. The L.A.-based soccer club finished 8 in the first season playing in the National Women’s Super League. Ohanian revealed that Angel City F.C. already had 15,300 season ticket holders even before playing their first-ever game.

Why was Angel City F.C. initially established? Are they financially stable?

Natalie Portman had initially identified a gap in the women’s soccer market. She felt that the homegrown soccer talent in America needs a better platform to showcase themselves. This particular piece of vision attracted Angel City F.C.’s initial investors.

From the looks of it, the club is already doing well financially in its first year. Angel City F.C.’s co-owner, Eva Longoria, revealed, “We sold over $1 million in merchandise even before the jersey was available”. She continued, “It’s really been well-received. People want this”.

Angel City F.C. has a long and bright future ahead. While the club will always be financially secure because of its high-profile investors, it remains to see if the Angel City F.C. can bring about that slight culture change that soccer needs in America.

Watch this story: Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Brings In FIFA World Cup Numbers to Declare Women’s Soccer Popularity in Us Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone

What do you think about Angel City F.C.’s long-term goal? Let us know in the comments below.