Sheryl Sandberg leans into pro women’s soccer in Silicon Valley
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Sheryl Sandberg and her husband are investing in a new National Women’s Soccer League team in Silicon Valley.
Sandberg, founder of Lean In.Org and former COO of Facebook (Meta), and Tom Bernthal are strategic investors in the club and Sandberg will serve on the board. The club will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area but the precise city hasn’t been named yet.
The NWSL awarded expansion rights for team No. 14 to an investment group representing the region. Northern California has been a key generator of women’s soccer talent throughout the history of the sport, and the Bay Area is a top-ten media market known for its diverse culture and vibrant ecosystem of creativity and innovation. The new club will begin to play in 2024.
Sandberg is a billionaire and her involvement in the club follows a familiar pattern of successful tech executives investing in sports teams. But in this case, it’s notable that it’s a woman investing in a women’s league — something quite new for a male-dominated place like Silicon Valley.
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Today’s announcement follows the recent expansion announcement of the Utah Royals as team No. 13, also beginning play in 2024. With the newly added duo, the NWSL now includes 14 member clubs, nearly doubling the league’s footprint since beginning operations in 2012.
“The number of bids and the increase in the league’s expansion fees are indicative of both the demand that exists for women’s soccer in the professional sports
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