Sep 19, 2024, 06:04 PM ET
Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is close to a deal to buy a controlling stake in the National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Sportico reported that the deal would value the Courage at $108 million.
If the transaction goes through, Lasry would become the principal owner of the Courage, taking over the role from Steve Malik, who bought the franchise rights from the Western New York Flash in January 2017 and relocated the team to Cary, North Carolina.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Lasry is the chairman of Avenue Capital Group, whose athlete team of advisors includes former NWSL MVP, United States international and World Cup winner Lauren Holiday. Lasry, who sold his stake in the Bucks last year, has been vocal about his desire to invest in women’s sports and previously pursued investing in Angel City FC.
Courage owner Malik and a team spokesperson, could not be reached for comment.
North Carolina is the only franchise in the 14-team NWSL that has not introduced new controlling ownership or a new team governor in the past four years. The league has grown from 10 teams in 2021 and is expected to add two more in 2026.
NWSL team valuations have soared from $3.5 million in early 2020 (Seattle Reign FC) to multiple records this year. The San Diego Wave are in the middle of a two-part sale process valued between $113 million and $120 million, which was a new record in the spring.
Marc Lasry is close to taking control of the National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage. Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Angel City FC set a record in a deal that closed earlier this month. Willow Bay, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Disney CEO Bob Iger bought the LA-based club for a valuation of $250 million. (The Walt Disney Company is the majority owner of ESPN.)
The Courage have been highly successful on the field, winning NWSL Championships in 2018 and 2019, the NWSL Shield in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2022 and 2023. The Western New York Flash also won the 2016 NWSL Championship a few months before the franchise’s relocation.
Off the field, however, the Courage have struggled in Cary, which is a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Courage averaged about 5,400 fans in 2023, which ranked second to last in the NWSL. The team plays at WakeMed Soccer Park, a 10,000-seat venue that opened in 2002 and is publicly owned.
Malik had led efforts to get a soccer stadium built in the southern part of downtown Raleigh, but those plans have been on pause for years.
Sports development in Raleigh has continued, however, with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes announcing last week a $1 billion mixed-use development around their current arena, which sits next to NC State’s football stadium. The arena is only three miles from WakeMed Soccer Park.
