The most expensive acquisition in the history of women’s professional sports has been completed after the NWSL formally approved the $250 million purchase of a majority stake in Angel City FC from Bob Iger and Willow Bay.
Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney, and television journalist Bay are also investing another $50 million in the club, which was only founded in 2020 by a group including Hollywood actress Natalie Portman and venture capitalists Kara Nortman and Alexis Ohanian.
The Los Angeles club’s record valuation is a milestone for women’s soccer and is more than double the previous record price for the sale of an NWSL team, when the San Diego Wave sold for approximately $113 million in March.
The acquisition of Angel City was unanimously approved by the NWSL Board of Governors. On the field, in only its third season, the team is ranked ninth out of 14 teams, after finishing fifth in 2023.
“We are incredibly excited to join ACFC as owners at this historic time for the team and for women’s sports locally and globally,” Bay said. “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.”
Bay is a former anchor for ABC News, CNN and NBC, and co-hosted basketball coverage on the latter. Iger has been CEO of Walt Disney since 2022, after previously serving as chairman.
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Portman, Ohanian and entrepreneur Julie Uhrman are among those who remain on the board of the original investors. A host of celebrities have also invested in the club, including former tennis stars Billie Jean King and Serena Williams, as well as former U.S. striker Abby Wambach and Winter Olympics legend Lindsey Vonn.