Reign FC and the NWSL will continue to grow
Not only does NWSL club Reign FC have the best women’s player in the world in Megan Rapinoe, but they could end up being bought out.
The Reign announced a couple of weeks ago that they’re in talks with the OL Groupe, who own french club Olympique Lyonnais.
The Reign announced on their website that they expect to sell the club to Lyon prior to January 31, 2020, which is about seven weeks away.
It sounds like Reign majority owner Bill Predmore is willing to sell his majority stake in order to help the club reach bigger heights around the world, due to the fact that OL Groupe operate two of the best clubs in French soccer when it comes to both their men’s and women’s teams that play in their top divisions respectively.
“Our ambition has always been to operate the best women’s football club in the world,” said Predmore. “This is a distinction long held by OL, making them the perfect organization to help us achieve our long-term objectives for the club.”
What’s interesting though is that Premore and his wife will not be giving up on the Reign completely. They will still retain a small minority stake.
The Reign were established in 2012 as one of the first clubs within the NWSL and I can’t imagine that a big ownership group from France won’t help them take things to the next level.
The OL Groupe know how to invest and make sure that their teams are competing at a high level. Their women’s team is one of the best not just in France but in Europe and their men’s team is also competing with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and in the UEFA Champions League on a yearly basis.
With NWSL plugging along and trying to establish themselves in the United States, I don’t see how having OL Groupe can’t help. I’m sure they will take the time to work with the NWSL and help them reach more people and grow their brand.
One thing that really helped the NWSL this past season was the USWNT winning the Women’s World Cup. It prompted ESPN to start broadcasting their games for the remainder of the season. So OL Groupe is coming in at a good time and can hopefully build off of this past summer.
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