Aflac will be NWSL Atlanta’s first jersey sponsor

Atlanta’s NWSL team and Aflac Inc. announced a sponsorship agreement Wednesday that includes the insurance company being the primary sponsor on the team’s jersey.

The contract is for seven years. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, though both sides described it as it is believed to be the largest deal in women’s sports history for a jersey sponsorship. The previous record of $2.6 million was reportedly broken last year by a contract between the Portland Thorns and Ring.

Atlanta‘s NWSL team, owned by Arthur Blank and called NWSL Atlanta 2028 until a name is selected, will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The franchise, the 17th in NWSL, was awarded in November. The team is working on its first kit, which will be produced by Nike and likely will be revealed next year.

“We’re going to use the next two years to listen and respond to the marketplace,” AMBSE (Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment) President Tim Zulawski said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Aflac will be with us that entire journey, as will other partners, as they come on board. But this is paramount to our ability to have a great partner, great brand that is based here in Georgia, to be on that journey from literally Day One.”

Headquartered in Columbus, Aflac has several corporate offices in Atlanta. It sponsors the Aflac Kickoff Game in college football played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It has launched several initiatives in women sports, mostly in basketball.

This will be Aflac’s first jersey sponsorship and first foray into professional soccer.

“We have had a long-standing view of being supportive of women’s sports and get an opportunity to be on the ground here in bringing NWSL Atlanta 2028 and being a part of that from the ground up is exciting to us,” Aflac U.S. President Virgil Miller said.

Miller and Zulawski said the agreement was reached quickly. They stressed the importance in the belief that the two companies have toward giving back to the community as among the fundamental reasons for the partnership.

Aflac will donate 10% of net proceeds from NWSL Atlanta’s apparel line to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which is on the campus of the CHOA Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

There are business reasons, too.

Miller said that women make 80% of health care decisions, and that 74% of supporters of women’s sports are their household’s primary earners and are more likely to consider brands that support their favorite teams. NWSL viewership ratings have increased four consecutive years. Total viewership in 2025 surpassed 20.1 million, an 18% increase over 2024.

“And just the opportunity to partner with AMBSE, which is a world-class organization right here in Georgia, just connects all the dots for us,” Miller said.