Since 2021, Birdies — the women’s shoe brand led by founders Bianca Gates and Marisa Sharkey — has somewhat surprisingly been involved in the sports world.
The label has been the founding fashion sponsor for the Angel City Football Club — L.A.’s first women’s professional soccer team. ACFC was founded in 2020 by Oscar-winning actor Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian. It’s also backed by Serena Williams, Jennifer Garner and other A-listers.
This month, Gates and Sharkey celebrated women’s sports at its highest level: the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. They execs traveled to Australia to cheer on ACFC team members, Julie Ertz and Alyssa Thompson, who made the US Women’s National Team roster. Gates and Sharkey also took part in the Angel City Equity Summit during their trip.
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“The World Cup was an amazing experience for both Marisa and myself and further shed light on the massive potential for more brands to partner with women’s sports organizations in the future as Birdies has,” Gates told FN.
What makes this union between Birdies and ACFC unique is ACFC’s sponsorship model, which requires its corporate partners to reallocate 10% of the value of their sponsorship to local causes, via product, asset or monetary donation. In June 2021, Birdies mobilized part of its allocation to develop a mentorship and paid internship program for young girls across Los Angeles and continues to do so.
Plus, having nontraditional partners in the world of women’s sports is key as it allows for greater exposure for teams.
Added Gates, “After attending the World Cup with ACFC, we witnessed the world lifting up and supporting more female athletes — and this is only the beginning! We’ll see this much more over the next several decades as brands get involved and invest, hopping on the train we’ve been riding confidently for years.”
Keep scrolling to see Gates and Sharkey’s first-hand experience at the World Cup.
