Yahoo Sport 
U.S. Soccer gets $30 million from Michele Kang to boost women’s, girls’ teams
In the two years since she purchased the Washington Spirit, Y. Michele Kang has expanded her reach in women’s soccer, taking over clubs in France and England.
Her next effort is a return stateside that will impact the most famous program in the women’s game. The U.S. Soccer Federation on Tuesday announced that Kang will give $30 million over the next five years to support its women’s and girls’ teams.
The investment is the largest philanthropic gift made to the federation’s women’s and girls’ programs and the largest made to U.S. Soccer by a woman.
“Women’s sports have been undervalued and overlooked for far too long,” Kang said in a news release. “I am committed to raising the standard of excellence in women’s soccer - both on and off the pitch - by delivering the resources female athletes need to reach their full potential and surround them with the professional support they deserve.”
The donation will help the federation double its number of youth national team camps and boost its digital talent identification program, bringing 12 times the number of players into the pipeline and giving access to 100,000 female players. It will also allow U.S. Soccer to provide professional development opportunities to an additional 70,000 female coaches and referees.
Stakeholders around the sport have pointed to the youth talent pipeline as an essential component of the U.S. national team, especially as European rivals pour resources into their developmental programs. The Americans exited the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16, a shock result that followed underwhelming performances at major youth tournaments and exposed flaws in U.S. development systems.
“I believe a gift like this will change the trajectory of the sport,” said Coach Emma Hayes, who took over the national team earlier this year and guided the Americans to Olympic gold. “We’re in a pivotal moment for soccer in the U.S. and this will help us support more female players, coaches and referees in the game.”
Kang became the majority owner of the Spirit in 2022 and has overseen new levels of success in Washington, securing the team’s full-time move to Audi Field and hiring Coach Jonatan Giráldez from powerhouse Barcelona. After the most successful regular season in club history, the Spirit sold out both of its playoff games this month and will play for the NWSL title in Saturday’s final against the Orlando Pride.
Through Kynisca Sports, her multi-club organization established in 2023, Kang also owns French club Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and England’s London City Lionesses. Lyon, an eight-time UEFA Champions League winner, is first in the French league. London City is fourth in the second-division Women’s Championship.
This year, Kang also made moves into other areas of women’s sports. She gave $4 million to the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team after it won bronze at the Olympics. Last month, Kynisca led a round of funding for IDA Sports, a Seattle-based company that designs cleats specifically for female athletes.
In July, she announced a $50 million investment to launch the Kynisca Innovation Hub, an endeavor dedicated to sports science and performance research for female athletes.
“Michele Kang’s gift will transform soccer for women and girls in the United States,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “It will impact generations of women and girls in our game, including players, coaches, and referees. I know firsthand the power soccer can have in someone’s life and thanks to Michele, we will be able to provide more support and opportunities for women and girls.”
Related Content
