Crypto.com to Become Angel City FC’s Exclusive Cryptocurrency and NFT Partner to Support Financial Education and Independence for Players and Fans – the First Major Cryptocurrency Platform to Officially Partner Directly With a Women’s Professional Sports Team
LOS ANGELES (December 21, 2021) – Today, Crypto.com, the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency platform, announced alignment with Angel City Football Club (ACFC) as a founding partner and the team’s official cryptocurrency and NFT partner. Deepening their relationship with Los Angeles and LA sports fans, the partnership is the first direct sponsorship of a professional women’s sports team by a major cryptocurrency platform.
Following the recently-announced naming rights agreement for the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Crypto.com has teamed up with ACFC to increase access and awareness of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and Web3 technologies among LA soccer fans, ACFC players, and across the broader ACFC organization. This is in an effort to foster financial education, independence, and financial empowerment. ACFC is mission-driven to create a different kind of football club that levels the playing field in women’s sports, mirroring Crypto.com’s mission to level the playing field financially through cryptocurrencies.
Crypto.com continues to find unique and impactful ways to invest in the city of Los Angeles, the Creative Capital of the World. Joining forces with ACFC, one of the most forward-thinking professional sports teams in the world, is a natural fit as Crypto.com works to expand access to cryptocurrency across diverse communities globally. ACFC is leading the way in women’s sports, creating innovative partnership models and tapping into a diverse and dynamic ownership group that includes Alexis Ohanian, Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, Uzo Aduba, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and more. The partnership will include a focus on community engagement, financial equity, and social impact initiatives.
“We are a community dedicated to building the future of the internet: Web3. Powered by cryptocurrency, Web3 will be more fair and equitable, owned by the builders, creators, and users,” said Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com. “We’re thrilled to be joining ACFC as a founding partner, deepening our relationship with the City of Los Angeles while supporting a team that shares our values and is equally committed to helping people achieve financial independence and self-determination.”
“Since day one Angel City has committed to being a leader in women’s football by promoting innovation that propels the game forward,” said Alexis Ohanian, Seven Seven Six Founder and ACFC Leading Founding Investor. “This thinking has driven our decision-making – from our community outreach efforts to our partnerships, down to the personnel we’ve hired – we continue to deliver on that promise daily. As an early adopter of crypto myself, today I’m proud that Angel City continues to lead the way as the first women’s professional sports team to partner directly with a major crypto platform. This partnership is a turning point for women’s sports and signifies the growing recognition of the power and influence they wield.”
“Key to Angel City’s goal to drive equity for women is to empower them with the tools and resources to be financially independent,” said ACFC Co-Founder and President Julie Uhrman. “Given the speed with which Web3 and cryptocurrency is changing our world, we want to ensure that women are being brought along on the journey as investors and creators. Partnering with Crypto.com was a natural fit given their leadership in the space and mission to level the playing field with crypto. We are excited to work with them to educate our community and players on crypto and allow our players to use the power of NFTs to connect with and create a deeper relationship with their fans.”
Last month, Crypto.com and AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, announced a historic, 20-year naming rights agreement to rename the AEG-owned and operated STAPLES Center, one of the most iconic and globally recognized sports and entertainment arenas in the world. The multi-purpose arena, which hosts hundreds of annual marquee events and serves as the official home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers, the NHL’s LA Kings, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, will be known as Crypto.com Arena effective December 25. This agreement also makes Crypto.com an official cryptocurrency platform partner of the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Kings.
This partnership with ACFC is the latest in Crypto.com’s growing portfolio of global sports partnerships, including UFC, F1, Paris Saint-Germain, and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, to the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, esports team Fnatic, and Lega Serie A, the Italian Football league and Twitch Rivals. Upland Workshop worked in partnership with ACFC and Crypto.com to advise on this deal.
About Crypto.com
Founded in 2016, Crypto.com serves over 10 million customers with the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency and financial services platform. Crypto.com is built on a foundation of security, privacy and compliance and is the first cryptocurrency company in the world to have ISO/IEC 27701:2019, ISO27001:2013 and PCI:DSS 3.2.1, Level 1 compliance, and independently assessed at Tier 4, the highest level for both NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks, as well as Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 compliance.
With over 3,000 people in offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia, Crypto.com is accelerating the world’s transition to cryptocurrency. Find out more: https://crypto.com.
About Angel City Football Club
Angel City Football Club (ACFC), the 11th member of the National Women’s Soccer League, will take the pitch in Spring 2022 and call Banc of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles their home. The team is founded by Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist, 776 founder and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Freya Coombe will lead the team as the first-ever head coach and US Women’s National Team star, and LA-native Christen Press is the team’s first signing. Learn more about ACFC at www.angelcity.com and follow the team on social media @weareangelcity.
