Angel City FC has become the most valuable women’s sports team in the world after an agreement by Willow Bay and Bob Iger to purchase a controlling interest in the National Women’s Soccer League club at a $250 million valuation. Bay, the dean of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will serve as controlling owner for the Los Angeles-based franchise and its representative on the NWSL board of governors, the club said in a statement.
She and her husband Iger, the Walt Disney Company chief executive, will also invest an additional $50 million to support the franchise’s future growth, the statement said.
The Los Angeles Times, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the deal, said the couple’s contribution tops $100 million.
The transaction must still be approved by the board of governors.
The investment gives the club the highest valuation ever for a women’s professional sports team.
The previous highest valued team, San Diego Wave, was sold in March for $120 million.
“Women’s sports is having a culture-defining moment,” Bay told the Los Angeles Times. “Participation is on the rise, viewership is on the rise, and appreciation for the level of the skill that these athletes demonstrate also is on the rise.
“All of those things, we really believe, add up to the momentum that we know exists for this team.”
Previous Angel City owner Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit and husband of US tennis great Serena Williams, will remain on the board.
The club was founded in 2020 and in 2023 ACFC generated the highest revenue of any women’s team in the world. The club was number one in NWSL attendance, sponsorship revenue and total revenue and had the largest season ticket membership.
Angel City are currently 11th in the 14-team league with four wins from 16 matches, 23 points behind league leaders Orlando Pride.
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