Natalie Portman is shifting the culture, one women’s soccer team at a time! After spearheading efforts to bring a women’s soccer team to L.A., the second-largest sports market in the U.S., Portman and a group of women founders and investors were awarded the rights to form a franchise by the National Women’s Soccer League!

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Your support from the beginning already means everything. 2022 can’t come soon enough! #NWSL https://t.co/oVUrHIyz5O

— NWSL (@NWSL) July 21, 2020

Portman became passionate about women’s soccer but quickly realized it doesn’t get the love it deserves—only garnering a measly 4% of sports media coverage. After being introduced to Becca Roux, the executive director for the USWNT Players Association, Portman was inspired to rally up other women founders and fellow actresses such as Uzo Aduba, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Serena Williams, other venture capitalists and investors including former Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, to get the ball rolling and “transform how women’s soccer is perceived in America.”

 

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#tbt to the dream crew at a @uswnt game last year! @uzoaduba @jennifer.garner @evalongoria @jessicachastain

A post shared by Natalie Portman (@natalieportman) on Jul 16, 2020 at 9:42am PDT

The L.A.-based women’s soccer franchise is slated to debut in Spring 2022. A team name has not been selected.