One week after adding a sports and business icon to their ownership ranks, the Washington Spirit are making waves in NWSL once again with a first-of-its-kind deal with Fanatics Sportsbook.

Fanatics Betting and Gaming will become the Spirit’s first official betting partner, with fans who live in Washington, D.C., now able to directly bet on the team’s matches. Although the company has a league-wide sponsorship of the NWSL, this deal marks its first sponsorship of a professional women’s sports team.

“This is another indication of the momentum surrounding the Spirit and women’s sports,” said Kim Stone, the team’s CEO, in a statement. “This collaboration gives us the chance to enter the sports betting space with a trusted brand, all while staying true to our commitment to integrity, empowering women and creating great experiences for our fans.”

Fanatics will market the sportsbook throughout the Spirit’s home stadium of Audi Field, with in-stadium signage and other activations.

The Fanatics deal is just the latest in the growing profile of the Spirit, which added basketball Hall of Famer and businessman Magic Johnson to their ownership ranks just one week ago. Johnson already had connections with the DMV area as part of the Josh Harris-led ownership group for the NFL’s Washington Commanders. The Los Angeles Lakers icon also has ownership stakes in the Dodgers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks (who are valued at $85 million) and MLS’ most valuable club, LAFC, valued at $1.15 billion.

The Spirit are owned by Michele Kang, who has invested heavily into women’s soccer in recent years both in the U.S. and Europe. In 2022, Kang purchased the Washington franchise for $35 million, a stunning price considering that Ron Burkle paid a $2 million expansion fee for the San Diego Wave months earlier. With team sales and a significant media rights package sending valuations even higher since, Kang’s investment has proven to be a wise one.

The Spirit are Sportico’s fifth-most valuable NWSL club at $54 million, drawing $6 million in revenue in 2023.

In July, Kang, who built a tech company that was sold to Accenture, launched Kynisca Sports International Limited as the holding company for her three soccer teams—the Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in France and the London City Lionesses. The firm is the first multinational holding company solely for women’s soccer.