By Kyle JorreyCalifornia Lutheran University is now home to the largest training facility in professional women’s soccer in the United States. Angel City Football Club (ACFC) cut the ribbon Jan. 21 on the new 50,000-square-foot, high-performance training center off Campus Drive.
The center is opening three months after striking a deal with university officials to lease 9 acres on the north side of campus formerly used by the Los Angeles Rams.
“This is more than a place to train,” ACFC president and co-founder Julie Uhrman said. “It’s a symbol of our commitment to building a championship-level experience for our players and staff so they can perform at their best, removing all distractions and excuses.”
Established in 2020, the National Women’s Soccer League franchise has practiced at Cal Lutheran since 2022. Their collaboration is “invaluable,” Uhrman said.
“Through our partnership, we’ve been able to work with [Cal Lutheran] and your staff as well as your students and talk about the future of sports and the world that they can play in,” she said at the event. “So to be able to extend our relationship with you for many more years is something I’m really excited about and pleased to do.”
Before moving in this month, the team completed a multimillion-dollar custom remodel that included creating one-and-a-half soccer fields, integrating cutting-edge performance and sports science technology, and constructing a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy area featuring cold and hot plunge pools and saunas. Existing facilities also received upgrades, including the 5,400-square-foot gym, 3,400-square-foot medical treatment area and 930-square-foot film room.
“This state-of-the-art performance center, let’s be clear, sets the bar, but it really should be the norm,” said Willow Bay. She and her husband Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, are the franchise’s majority owners.
“This is what female athletes should have everywhere they come to work, a place where they can reach their full potential and a space where they can achieve greatness,” she added.
The performance center will operate year-round and serve ACFC first-team players and their developmental team and staff.
Angel City is an inspiration to students and staff, said Cal Lutheran Interim President John Nunes at the event.
“It’s not a coincidence that our women’s soccer team won the national championship last year,” he said. “We are inspired by you and by this partnership. We are inspired by the alignment of values.”
Under a deal struck last fall, Angel City has use of the site until at least 2028. The team, which plays its home games at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, is the most richly valued women’s sports franchise in the world.
The impact of having ACFC on campus transcends financial benefits, offering valuable educational and experiential opportunities for students.
ACFC players and executives share their knowledge of professional sports with students through various forums. The club also provides internships to students at Cal Lutheran, which offers a bachelor’s degree in sports management and added a master’s degree in fall 2024. The organization’s staff members guest lecture in classes, and club members participate in talks with coaches and student-athletes.
Cal Lutheran alumna Alex Mallen is ACFC’s senior director of corporate partnerships, and Public Relations Manager Kevin Rider is an adjunct faculty member in Cal Lutheran’s sports management program.
Matt Ward, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Cal Lutheran, was on hand at Tuesday’s celebration. The administrator was instrumental in bringing the club to campus and reaching a deal to keep them.
“It has been an incredible journey partnering with Angel City FC since their inception,” Ward said. “They continue to build a model of excellence that inspires both the university and the community around us. What an incredible benefit to our students that we have this world-class organization on our campus.”
Cal Lutheran has a long history of partnering with elite athletic teams. The university was home to the Los Angeles Rams training facility from 2016 to 2023 and hosted the Dallas Cowboys training camp for 26 years. The 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s water polo teams trained at Cal Lutheran’s Samuelson Aquatics Center.
