Today, we’re excited to announce Monarch Collective’s first investment: bringing the NWSL back to Boston alongside Boston Unity Soccer Partners. This is a natural first investment for us–a storied sports town like Boston, a league with incredible momentum in the NWSL, and the largest sport in the world. Just as important, the founding team has deep connections to their community and is aligned with our values at Monarch–they care about winning and proving women’s sports is a great investment and also believe that doing so requires investing with players, fans, and the broader community at the forefront. 

NWSL Boston was founded by four incredible women–Jennifer Epstein, Stephanie Connaughton, Ami Danoff, and Anna Palmer. They came together around a shared passion for soccer, women’s sports, and their city. Having this clear ‘why’ is a critical ingredient for success when launching an expansion team. It informs how you make the decisions, big and small, that ultimately shape who the team is at launch and beyond.

The other thing that stood out to me right away from this group was their diversity of thought and experience. In working closely with them for the past few months, the strength of each of their unique perspectives has continued to shine. This diversity will be a key driver of the team’s success. 

Jennifer has expertise across sports, real estate, investing, and hospitality that come together daily to navigate launching the team. Alongside that expertise, Jennifer’s superpower is community building. Her ability to set the right strategy combined with her authentic passion to attract the right group of collaborators to join on this journey is truly unique. It takes someone like Anna with that next level soccer fandom coupled with practical operating experience to craft a gameday experience that’s engaging for all types of fans. Ami’s network of relationships spanning from finance to nonprofits has helped us connect with the right resources and partners. In designing the brand, mission, and vision, Stephanie has pragmatic expertise on how to use data and brand-building best practices to inform decisions. I love collaborating with this group because of the different ways each person shows up to help this team to win and deliver for the city of Boston.

Boston is a sports town. The energy from the loudest moments of fan euphoria in TD Garden during a Celtics game is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in sports. I fell in love with baseball going to Red Sox games in college and seeing the community amongst season ticket holders that had grown up together and whose kids had now become friends. It’s a special place. We’re excited to build another fan community in Boston and create new history in a place with deep tradition.

White Stadium is the space to build this history. I love how it has its own story and tradition that we can learn from and build on. It was originally built in 1949 as a venue for the community. Whether it was high school football games or concerts like Sly and the Family Stone, it was frequently filled to capacity and a space for gathering. We have the opportunity to imagine what a professional sports venue can look and feel like at White Stadium and in parallel support community programming so the venue works for more people. I firmly believe this model is one for the future–a space where a women’s sports team can be the primary professional tenant but where creative utilization opens up new possibilities beyond the usual slate of concerts and corporate events.

Kara and I visited White Stadium with the founders earlier this year. We stood at the top of the seating bowl imagining what the stadium would be like, revamped and full of fans. We walked through the gates imagining how supporters would enter and how we’d create the right community gathering spaces on gameday. You can’t help but get energized about building this team, with this group, in this city.

An expansion team is a unique opportunity to custom-build an experience for a market and fan base. Building in women’s sports at this moment in time is especially purposeful. At Monarch, we aim to partner with women’s sports teams and leagues that we think can create the most value and drive systems change in women’s sports for decades to come. We choose to build with groups who are committed to a capital base and leadership team that reflects the diversity of the fan base and athletes because we believe that’s critical to drive the best financial outcomes. And we do it with people who share our values that we’re proud to partner with. Boston Unity embodies everything we look for in a partnership. We couldn’t be more proud to announce this investment and to be a part of bringing the newest team to title town.