Disney CEO to ‘SHATTER’ world record at expense of Man Utd owner

Robin Bairner

• 3 Jul 2024 10:00 BST
• 3 min read

Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay are close to buying a controlling stake in a football club that will shatter a world record.

Semafor reports that they are close to a deal to buy NWSL club Angel City FC in a move that will make the Los Angeles franchise the most expensive in women’s sports history.

The pre-money valuation of the club stands at $250m, with the report indicating that the Bay-Iger group’s fresh investment will see that rise to $300m.

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The club is presently controlled by Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who is the partner of tennis superstar Serena Williams, while other shareholders include Christian Aguilera, Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria.

It is stated that among the other investors who were bidding for control of Angel City FC was Manchester United owner Avie Glazer. His bid was said to be “competitive”.

Sportico reports that the deal is not finalised, but it is expected to become the biggest for a women’s sports team in history. Fellow NWSL team, the San Diego Wave, was recently sold for a league-record $113m.

Although Angel City are presently 11th in the 14-team NWSL, they lead the league in attendance with close to 20,000 fans watching each home game. This comes off a backdrop of generating a record $31m revenue last year, nearly twice as much as San Diego, which earned $16.3m. Only two other franchises broke the $10m mark.

Boardroom tension

Angel City has not been without its problems, which is why it finds itself on the market.

The Los Angeles Times previously reported on Ohanian’s unhappiness with the manner in which the club is being run.

It described a “messy” boardroom battle, stating: “Multiple league and team officials, who would speak only on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the matter, said tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, an early investor, was unhappy over the team’s profligate spending.”