Elizabeth Banks Turned Down an Offer to Invest in Angel City FC — Now She’s Funding a New Boston Team (Exclusive)

Elizabeth Banks wants to leave a legacy.

As Banks, 50, and the Boston Unity Soccer Partners announce their National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team, BOS Nation, the Charlie's Angels actress exclusively tells PEOPLE why she's investing in the team.

"Actually, I was invited back in the day to be an investor in Angel City here in Los Angeles," Banks says, referring to the team co-founded by Natalie Portman that inspired HBO's 2023 docuseries. Angel City.

Banks says she "didn't feel authentically connected to" the Los Angeles team. "I mean, I love LA and I live here, but it's not my home."

The Hunger Games actress says she felt like Angel City "had a lot of amazing women, female founders and women investors involved," ultimately declining the offer to invest in Portman's club, but the invitation "planted the seed that this was possible," says Banks.

"I thought, gosh, it would be really interesting to do something down the line."

When Banks learned that Boston was making a bid for the NWSL's expansion team — beginning play in 2026 — "That felt much more right to me," says the Massachusetts native.

"I've been thinking about my legacy in the place where I grew up that helped make me the woman that I am today, and this just felt like a great opportunity," Banks says of her investment.

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Banks says she's most hopeful that BOS Nation's presence will allow her to "give back to the community" when the team begins play in 2026. "I think I'm really most interested in how we give back to the community around White Stadium and in the city of Boston. Boston has such a rich history in sports, and I really am excited to be bringing a female-led sports franchise to that city."

Beyond giving back to the city of Boston, Banks says investing in the women's soccer team felt aligned with the morals of the "legacy" she wants to leave.

"I mean, I'm halfway through life at this point, and so I really have to start thinking about what impression am I going to leave for my kids and for people that come behind me, and I think being able to present to the city of Boston an exciting opportunity to support female athletes, that's a perfect example of the kinds of things that I would like to do in the future."

Jennifer Epstein, BOS Nation's controlling owner, tells PEOPLE that Banks "understands the importance around women's sports as it is vital in promoting gender equality, providing women and girls with the opportunity to showcase their talents and truly breaking down barriers in traditionally male-dominated spaces," in an exclusive statement.

"Her support around building this team has been amazing and we are so incredibly happy to be working with her," Epstein adds.

When the team takes the field for their inaugural season in 2026, Banks says she hopes the team is "really competitive," joking, "I mean, if you're a team in Boston, you better come to win."