Historic $250m deal sees Angel City FC become highest-valued women's sport team in the world

Angel City FC have become the world’s most expensive women’s sports team ever after a successful $250m (£192.3m) takeover, only four years after they were founded. 

US couple Willow Bay and Bob Iger - CEO of the Walt Disney Company - have become the new controlling owners of the club based in Los Angeles. The subsequent investment is the highest valuation ever made for a women’s professional sports team. 

Angel City was founded in 2020 by Hollywood actor Natalie Portman, who once said her "dream is to make women’s soccer as valued as male soccer is throughout the world". In her fight to do so, she created a female-led ownership group that now includes the likes of Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Christina Aguilera and Sophia Bush. 

The group raised capital like a startup tech company, and by 2023 had managed to generate the highest revenue of any women’s team recorded in the world. The club are currently eleventh in the National Women’s Super League, having won their most recent game, after three consecutive losses. 

Iger and Bay are set to invest an additional $50m (£38.4m) to support the future growth of the club, while previous owner, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, will stay on the board and has said he believes the franchise "can be the biggest brand in all of women’s professional sports".

In a statement, Bay said: "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."

ACFC’s board of directors added: "We know [Bay and Iger] are the right partnered to lead us into this new era - they are commuted to further strengthening ACFC’s position as a preeminent organisation and brand in women’s sports and to to championing the team’s broader mission, including the advancement of equity for athletes and women founded businesses."

The historical takeover surpasses the $120m (£92.2m) deal made for San Diego Wave in March by a huge amount, which now places the club as the second-highest valued team in the world.

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