East Ventura News

The Angel City Football Club (ACFC) has extended its contract with California Lutheran University as its training site for the National Women’s Soccer League team. The new two-year agreement, with a possible one-year extension, allows ACFC to continue training at North Field and utilize the facilities within William Rolland Stadium and Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

Cal Lutheran President Lori E. Varlotta expressed her support for the partnership, stating, “The Angel City football team includes athletes who are top in their sport. As such, the entire club serves as a role model for our own student-athletes and all others who strive to be and do the very best in their life and their career. We are proud to have a continued partnership with the team and appreciate being able to support professional women’s soccer.”

ACFC players and executives engage with students at Cal Lutheran through various forums as part of their residency agreement. The club, recognized as a “Brand That Matters” by Fast Company in 2023, offers internships to students at Cal Lutheran, which provides degrees in sports management. The organization’s staff members also contribute to classes and discussions with coaches and student-athletes.

In a recent panel discussion at Cal Lutheran, Angel City executives shared insights on women and the business of sports. The club also honored Cal Lutheran’s women’s soccer team at BMO Stadium for its NCAA Division III championship. Furthermore, ACFC’s leadership will conduct an entrepreneurial workshop for students and staff at the club’s Los Angeles headquarters.

Notably, ACFC is the first majority female-founded, female-owned, and female-run sports team in professional sports. The team’s founders include Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, and media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman.

Alex Mallen, a Cal Lutheran alumna, serves as ACFC’s director of corporate partnerships, while Public Relations Manager Kevin Rider is an adjunct faculty member in Cal Lutheran’s Sports Management program.

California Lutheran University has a history of partnering with elite athletic teams, having previously hosted the Los Angeles Rams training facility and the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Additionally, the university accommodated the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s water polo teams at its Samuelson Aquatics Center.