Angel City FC is now the most valuable women’s sports team in the world. The news comes as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side changes their majority shareholders. Willow Bay and Bob Iger have agreed to acquire a controlling stake in the club at a valuation of $250 million. The duo have been married since 1995.
Bay is currently the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The 60-year-old journalist and former model previously worked as a senior editor for the Huffington Post. Iger, on the other hand, is widely known as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He was also previously a television executive at ABC before the company was purchased by Disney.
“We are thrilled to join this team as owners at this historic moment in sports,” Bay proclaimed after agreeing to the deal. “ACFC and these incredible athletes have already had a tremendous impact on the NWSL, women’s soccer, and the Los Angeles community.”
“With this investment of resources and capital, we hope to accelerate the growth of the club and the NWSL. Working with the team and board, and the incredible community of ACFC fans, we are committed to advancing the club’s mission of driving equity on and off the field.”
Valuation has not translated to success on the pitch just yet
Along with officially taking over the team, the couple will also invest another $50 million into the club shortly. Although Bay and Iger are becoming Angel City’s controlling owners, several other minority investors remain in place. The team’s official board will continue to include other high-profile figures such as Natalie Portman, Alexis Ohanian, and Julie Uhrman.
Angel City’s valuation is particularly impressive considering they were only just founded in 2020. The club then first officially competed in the NWSL two years later. Despite being a new team, Angel City has managed to draw massive crowds on matchdays. Team officials even sold more than…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/angel-city-fc-emerges-as-most-valuable-womens-team/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-07-17 15:59:49
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