Multiple reports are surfacing in the US that Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay are on the cusp of making a record-breaking $250m investment into Angel City FC.
If the deal were to be successful, this would make Iger and Bay’s investment the largest for a US female sports team in history and make the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the most valuable women’s sports team in the US.
Last March, The Los Angeles Times reported that Iger and Bay were exploring the possibility of acquiring a stake in Angel City FC that would make them the majority owner of the soccer club.
The NWSL team’s ownership group and shareholders boast a plethora of Hollywood and sporting stars, such as Natalie Portman – a part of the founding ownership group – Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Jessica Chastain, James Corden and more.
The controlling ownership group consisting of Portman, Kara Nortman, Julie Uhrman and Alexis Ohanian brought investment firm Moelis & Co. to facilitate and search for a majority ownership stake sale in the club.
Now it appears that Iger and Bay are inching closer to becoming majority owners of the club, even surpassing the projected valuation target of the club which was set at $180m, with Iger and Bay preparing to invest $250m.
Sportico recently revealed that a majority sale was in the process due to founding members disagreeing over governance and board control. The sports news outlet also outlined that the new majority owner(s) will gain governance and board control.
Founded in 2020, Angel City FC are still on the hunt for its first NWSL Championship but did have the record average attendance in the league in 2022 at over 19,000, and the second-highest the following season at 19,756.
More notably pertinent to the sale of the club, Angel City FC brought in the most revenue out of all teams in the league at $31m, according to Statista. The LA women’s team was also the most valuable club in the league last October at a $180m valuation.
