The NWSL is taking yet another bold step forward in its journey to establishing itself as one of the world's major women's sports leagues. The league has announced it's adding two of its investors and NFL stars, Eli Manning and Bryce Young, to its newly launched Advisory Board.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the “group of 20 cultural leaders and soccer legends who also are club investors” have banded together “to help guide the [NWSL's] next era of growth. Other former athletes and celebrities who are tapped for the Advisory Board include Magic Johnson, Elizabeth Banks, Alex Morgan, Aly Raisman, Lindsay Vonn, and Brittany Mahomes, among others.
Eli Manning and Bryce Young, investors in Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns respectively, are joining the NWSL’s new Advisory Board — a group of 20 cultural leaders and soccer legends who also are club investors — created to help guide the league’s next era of growth. They’re…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 6, 2025
Two-time Super Bowl champion Manning is a minority owner in Gotham FC, the team based in the same New York/New Jersey market where he spent his career with the New York Giants. Meanwhile, Young has been a part of Portland Thorns FC's ownership group since he joined in July 2024. The involvement of the football players, as well as other public figures outside of soccer, underscores the NWSL's desire to expand beyond just traditional circles within the sport.
According to the NWSL, the Advisory Board's mission is to unlock new opportunities for partnerships, increase fan engagement, and expand the growing league's cultural relevance. The group assembled for these tasks proves the NWSL is envisioning its future beyond the pitch.
With the 2025 NWSL campaign winding down and heading into the postseason, fans will have to wait until at least 2026 to really see the impact of this Advisory Board and determine whether this star-studded lineup of investors can translate its celebrity power and influence into more concrete growth for the league.
