Serena Williams e Natalie Portman on investing in the new women's soccer team in LA

23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and Oscar winning actress Natalie Portman spoke about their decision to invest in a women's soccer team in Los Angeles, which will play in the National Women's Soccer League, starting in 2022, during an Instagram Live session.

Serena Williams and Natalie Portman on investing in a new women's soccer team in Los Angeles

Portman and Williams are investors in the team which also includes former U.S women’s stars Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy and Lauren Holiday, and celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Garner, America Ferrera and Uzo Aduba.

On the show, Portman commented, "We are so excited to be a part of this team together with you, Alexis, Olympia and all the ownership of women's soccer in LA. I started getting into soccer and I was saying, 'This is the most popular sport in the world.' 'The U.S. [women] have the best players in the world.' 'How are we need celebrating these players every day at home, and not just every four years at the World Cup?' I started looking into it, and found like-minded people, and we're so, so excited to have this team in LA... and to have you spreading your energy across sports for women."

Williams, who has multiple business ventures outside of her tennis career, commented, "My husband told me first about it. At last year's Wimbledon, he said that he was thinking about this. Alexis said he wanted to do something in LA, to create a team in LA - and I was like, 'Oh, that's insane.' So, really, it was, honestly, everyone is talking about this but it was mostly his idea, but it's fun for him and I to see it. I think that's really cool for athletes to own something. It's interesting, because you have a different type of pride when you're there and you're playing for something that you own. It's not really done in tennis, so it's really interesting to have an opportunity to do that in a different sport. It would be a wonderful feeling to have that. You want to play better, to play harder - not only are you playing me, you're playing me in my stadium."

Serena Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion and a former World No. 1. She is chasing a record 24th Grand Slam singles title, a record currently held by Australia's Margaret Court.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2OVep0q