Disney CEO Bob Iger and Willow Bay, dean of the USC Annenberg school, have completed their purchase of a controlling interest in the Angel City Football Club, the team announced Thursday.
The team said the transaction lifts the club’s value to $250 million, making it the most valuable franchise in women’s professional sports history. The deal includes an additional $50 million capital injection to support the club’s operations and growth goals.
“We are incredibly excited to join ACFC as owners at this historic juncture for the team and for women’s sports locally and globally,” Bay said in a statement. “As fans since the club’s founding season, we have long admired ACFC’s impact as a sports franchise and a force for social good, particularly here in our Los Angeles community.
“We are excited to build on ACFC’s momentum and help the club advance its goals on and off the pitch. I look forward to working closely with the team, NWSL’s Board of Governors, the incredible players, and the passionate supporters to drive innovation, foster growth, and uphold the club’s commitment to equity and impact.”
The transaction was unanimously approved by NWSL’s Board of Governors. With that approval, Iger and Bay will join the largest majority-female ownership group in professional sports, one led by actor Natalie Portman, venture capitalist Kara Nortman, and media entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and that includes Hollywood heavyweights Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner and America Ferrera.
The team, in its third season in the NWSL, made its lone playoff appearance last year. The team is 6-9-3 this season, good for ninth-place in the 14-team league table, one spot out of a postseason berth.