ArentFox Schiff Advises NWSL on 17th Franchise Awarded to Atlanta

ArentFox Schiff served as legal counsel to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the transaction awarding its 17th franchise to the City of Atlanta. The new franchise adds to the growing commitment to soccer in the Atlanta area, coming ahead of the 2025 FIFA World Cup and in conjunction with the development of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center.

The team will be owned by Arthur Blank and operated by AMB Sports + Entertainment, the holding company of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons, Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC, and TGL’s Atlanta Drive. The new team will begin play in the 2028 season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will be modified to incorporate NWSL-specific facilities. In addition, ownership will build a new women’s soccer-specific training facility dedicated to the team.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will also provide seed funding to launch the NWSL Foundation, which will focus on advancing research and innovation in women’s sports, with an emphasis on female athlete health and performance.

Atlanta is the fifth franchise to be granted expansion rights since 2023, joining Utah Royals FC, Bay FC, Boston Legacy, and Denver Summit.

The AFS Team included Stephen Hanson, Michael Ragan, Olga Bogush, Shira Helstrom, and Alexis Mozeleski.

From coast to coast, ArentFox Schiff boasts one of the country’s most experienced and diverse sports law practices. The group regularly advises leagues, teams, venues, operators, sponsors, and brands across all major professional and collegiate sports throughout the United States and internationally. The AFS team’s experience covers nearly every type of commercial transaction in the sports industry, including a rapidly expanding and preeminent focus in the development and implementation of initial naming rights and founding sponsorship programs, as well as the negotiation and finalization of key foundational operational agreements such as management agreements, ticketing agreements, food and beverage agreements, pouring rights agreements, and more.

The Sports group has key experience beyond the more traditional practice areas in burgeoning new sectors of the sports industry, such as the interplay with private equity, fantasy sports, gaming, e-sports, and blockchain and artificial intelligence applications. The Sports group also represents some of the most well-known athletes, agencies, and artists, as well as advertising agencies and startup companies, on a broad array of sports-related engagements.

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