Klarna today announced it’s continuing to make unexpected moves by teaming up with fellow gamechanger, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Klarna joins Angel City FC as a Founding Partner. The multi-year deal marks Klarna’s first official partnership with a sports organization globally, introducing the brand’s all-in-one shopping platform to new audiences and offering fans an innovative way to shop, pay and support their favorite teams. Additionally, Klarna has been integrated as a payment partner on ACFC’s online store.
Both Klarna and ACFC are known for pushing the boundaries in their respective worlds, which is why it was a natural fit to partner. Klarna is challenging outdated traditional credit and payments industry models that had lost sight of evolving consumer needs. There are now over 90 million global customers spanning 20 markets choosing Klarna as a better way to shop and pay. At the same time, ACFC–an upstart soccer franchise with a majority-women-led ownership group and front office–is flipping the traditional sports model on its head with its history-making leadership.
“Klarna thrives from making bold choices that transcend industries including fashion, beauty, gaming, travel and now sports,” said David Sandstrom, CMO of Klarna. “We approach every new partnership with the same question, ‘Who are our fellow minded partners who share the same values and ambitions?.’ ACFC is a natural fit as we look to support like-minded organizations working to challenge the status quo. Both founded on innovation, the forward-thinking vision of this team aligns with Klarna’s commitment to driving meaningful change for consumers.”
With both companies placing innovation at their core, through this collaboration, Klarna and ACFC aim to bring the best experience to ACFC fans while also making a positive impact on the Los Angeles community at large. ACFC and Klarna will collaborate to initiate social impact programming in the Los Angeles community.
As an expansion of their give-back programs, Klarna and ACFC will work together to support planet health initiatives by helping to create green spaces in areas where that is currently lacking. ACFC’s disruptive partnership model reallocates 10% of all sponsorship funds towards community programs, while Give One powered by Klarna is committing 1% of all funding rounds to planet health initiatives focusing on climate action, biodiversity, and human development. In addition to their give back program, Klarna has also added a carbon tracker in app to empower consumers with better info on their purchases.
“Angel City looks for partners who align with our purpose, wanting to set higher expectations and have a positive impact,” said Angel City FC Founder and President Julie Uhrman. “Together, with Klarna through our Angel City Sponsorship model, we will work together to create green spaces across LA, which is a first for ACFC. Additionally, we’ll be offering Klarna as a payment option in our online store, which allows our fans a more flexible way of making purchases and representing our team.”
Also as part of the partnership, Klarna and ACFC will collaborate on a limited-edition capsule collection releasing in 2022. The payments solution and shopping service leader will roll out a “Smoooth Pink Carpet” entrance for select matches, giving fans the opportunity to strut their best gameday looks. Klarna branding will also be displayed on LED boards in Banc of California Stadium throughout matches as well as in assorted ACFC social content.
