BMO is joining forces with Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC, with the soccer teams' shared home now known as
The change from Banc of
BMO becomes a founding partner of Angel City, joining other blue-chip sponsors such as Chevrolet, Heineken and Tecate in partnering with the second-year
For
"When we evaluate partners, the first thing we look at is their values and are our values aligned," she said in an interview. "So knowing that BMO has a commitment to equity in sports and wants to help grow this great game is absolutely in line with what we do."
"It was incredible to see that they spent
"Which directly speaks to equity in sports and they want to show they support both equally because they both drive incredible engagement and value in the marketplace."
As with each sponsor of Angel City, BMO and the NWSL team will reallocate 10 per cent of the partnership back into the community — in this case by sponsoring Girls Play Los Angeles (GPLA). BMO will be supporting more than 400 high school aged girls and "gender expansive" youth across
"Clearly (Angel City) is very passionate about promoting equity in the sport and so are we," said
"That pillar of creating a more inclusive society has a lot of facets but sports is one of them," she added. "This is definitely a very concrete way that we can live on that commitment and work with a really fantastic partner to advance it."
BMO is no stranger to Canadian soccer fans.
BMO recently partnered with TFC to launch the Women in Soccer Fellowship, designed to provide women on-the-job experience in coaching, scouting, player development, medical and team services and medical to increase the number of women in sport.
The L.A. stadium is scheduled to host soccer games and track and field events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In
LAFC, home to Canadian international goalkeeper
LAFC has sold out every regular-season and playoff game at the 22,000-capacity stadium, which opened in 2018 with the MLS team's debut.
Angel City, meanwhile, averaged more than 19,000 fans per game for its inaugural season to lead the NWSL.
The franchise just hired Canadian
Angel City was founded by actor
Its ownership group is a Who's Who of women including actors
Former Canadian international
"What they've shown is how big this product, women's professional soccer, can be when there's a strong business model there. It's women-led. It's community focused. It's player-focused,'' Matheson said in an interview earlier this month. "And we absolutely believe that can be built in Canadian markets as well.''
Uhrman is wishing the Canadian venture well.
"It is a great example of how the growth of women's sports is on the rise. And it's not a linear growth," she said. "We are going to see exponential growth in women's sport in the next three to five years. And this is just a great example of incredible talent that wants to develop into a professional experience. And I think that's great."
Los Angeles FC's home opener this season is
---
Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
Note to readers: An earlier version of the story incorrectly said BMO becomes the official bank of Angel City FC
© 2023 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source