When former England striker and author of the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Highly Commended autobiography They Don’t Teach This Eni Aluki got the chance to move halfway across the world to Los Angeles and become the sporting director of Angel City FC, that was cool enough. When that team is supported by high profile backers including Billie Jean King, Jennifer Garner and Queen Amidala herself Natalie Portman, well…it doesn’t get much more awesome than that.
“Natalie Portman is my boss,” says Eni Aluko, who has become accustomed to a star-studded workforce since relocating to Los Angeles as sporting director of Angel City FC.
Hollywood actress Portman is part of a majority female ownership group boasting a plethora of A-list investors who have founded the new National Women’s Soccer League side, with the club set to make their debut in the competition this month.
Among the extensive high-profile backers are tennis icons Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, Winter Olympic gold medallist Lindsey Vonn, actresses Eva Longoria and Jennifer Garner, TV host James Corden, former US soccer stars Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm and a number of entrepreneurs, YouTubers, pop stars and other former sports professionals.
It made for a daunting Zoom interview for Aluko after she was approached to take on the role of sporting director, though the former England striker proved a hit with the all-star panel.
“I remember thinking, ‘don’t look at them – look at you notes and the presentation and try to deliver as best you can what you would do’. And they loved it,” Aluko tells BBC Sport.
After finishing her professional career at Juventus, Aluko was working as the director for women’s football at Aston Villa when the opportunity arose to join the franchise in California, though it was not a straightforward decision.
“You are moving to the other side of the world,” she explains. “The whole point of retiring and moving back home was to spend more time with my family and friends, claw back time I missed playing professional football, so it wasn’t a no-brainer at all.
“It was more a case of if I don’t do this, don’t take this unique opportunity to build a club from scratch, I am probably never going to get that opportunity again.”
