Reign FC look to Europe for Investment

Reign FC announced a few weeks ago that it has entered into exclusive negotiations to sell the team to OL Groupe.  The company controls the Olympique Lyon men’s and women’s soccer clubs in France.  The women’s club is generally considered the most successful in the world.  The men’s side is pretty good, too.  The Predmore’s will retain a minority stake in the club after the sale and still run it.

While a steady success on the field, the Reign have struggled off the field.  This runs from sponsorships to media coverage, to lack of training facilities or a stadium befitting one of the tops clubs in perhaps the top women’s league in the world.  Probably because of all of this, the team has never drawn crowds that would reflect a strong women’s soccer market.  And discussion in the soccer media has indicated that the club is undercapitalized, though well run given those constraints.

Yet OL Groupe sees something here.  Probably the potential of what the team can be in this market with a little capital injection.  Some online chatter seems convinced that OL Groupe is buying the club to eventually move it.  But it’s just as easy to suggest they’ll try to tap into this market unlike we’ve ever seen done in women’s soccer.

It doesn’t seem the club will be teaming up with the Sounders on a training facility or at CenturyLink Field anytime soon.  There’s been ample time for that.  That works in some joint MLS/NWSL markets, but not all.  Some NWSL clubs do fine as independents.  What may be of interest is how OL Groupe can keep the club competitive on the field, as salaries seem certain to escalate as the league uses the sponsorship bounce of the  2019 World Cup to raise the league’s profile and keep talent in the league from leaving.  There’s also the matter of replacing head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, recently named the new USWNT manager.

The off field matters that bare watching through the lens of OL Groupe are whether the team sees increased media exposure, along with future stadium discussions.  Cheney Stadium is considered a temporary venue until a 5K seat venue is built next door that will be shared with the Tacoma Defiance, the Sounders affiliate.  The new ownership will have to decide whether the planned venue has enough capacity for the crowds they envision.  It would be amongst the smallest capacity stadiums in the league.  And lower than the Reign’s 2019 average of 5,213.

So if this deal goes through as expected, OL Groupe will have plenty on its plate.  With OL Groupe’s capital and experience, and the Predmore’s management, the U.S. soccer community may get to see whether the Reign can replicate a bit of the Sounders magic to ensure long term success of high level women’s soccer in the Puget Sound region.

(photo: Jane Gershovich/isiphotos.com)