Angel City FC investor Jennifer Garner coordinates partnership with her nutritional snacks company

The GIST: Actress and Angel City FC (ACFC) investor Jennifer Garner is wielding the power of the highest-valued NWSL team to promote her other ventures. On Tuesday, ACFC announced a multiyear partnership with Garner’s children’s nutrition company, Once Upon a Farm.

• The investment move could spark a trend of entrepreneurial NWSL investors — such as fellow ACFC owner Alexis Ohanian — utilizing teams to promote their other enterprises. Soccer mom–approved.

The deal: Starting in 2025, Once Upon a Farm will be a team-level partner and the club’s exclusive partner for healthy kids’ snacks, as well as the presenting partner for the club’s “Rising Stars” web series. Plus, per ACFC’s unique sponsorship model, 10% of the deal will help increase soccer programming access for women and gender nonconforming athletes.

The alignment: The deal — which is the first sports sponsorship for the nutrition brand — demonstrates further overlap between Garner’s ACFC involvement and the team’s back-of-the-jersey sponsorship with health food supermarket Sprouts Farmers Market, which carries Once Upon a Farm products. All three companies have prioritized kids’ access to nutrition and healthy living.

The trend: Promoting a healthy lifestyle and keeping girls in the game is on brand for ACFC, but it’s likely no coincidence that Garner’s company is partnering with her team. With the increase in celebrity investors and private equity–owned stakes, it only makes sense to cross-promote companies to get products in front of a new, engaged audience.

• Similarly, ACFC founder and actress Natalie Portman executive produced an HBO docuseries about the team, while Ohanian produced The Offseason, an upcoming reality TV series featuring former ACFC defender Paige Nielsen. A true crossover episode.