Korean American businesswoman Michele Kang, owner of Olympique Lyonnais, on the tribune to watch the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between Arsenal FC and Olympique Lyonnais at the Arsenal Stadium in London, April 19, 2025. AP-Yonhap

Michele Kang knows the question is coming before it is even asked.

No, she never imagined she'd own one women's soccer team, let alone three. But Kang knows a good investment when she sees it.

“I really fell in love with the game and the potential. I saw the potential where it was and where it could be,” she said. "I am just grateful for this opportunity to be a catalyst and sort of a match that could light a fire.”

Kang owns the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League , the London City Lionesses in England's Women's Super League and OL Lyonnes in the French Premier League. All three are accomplished teams, with the Lionesses promoted last year from the Women's Championship, the Spirit raising the NWSL championship trophy in 2021, and Lyon winning a record eight Women's Champions League titles and 18 league titles.

Multi-club owners are not unusual on the men's side of the game: There's City Group, which owns Manchester City in the English Premier League and a number of other teams, and Austria's Red Bull, which owns several teams including RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.

But on the women's side, it's more of a rarity, and it is certainly unusual to own three teams in three top-tier leagues. Kang also took over as president of Olympique Lyonnais on the men’s side last year.

"My model is, because of where women’s soccer is in terms of its development relative to men’s, my multi-club model is very different than the men’s multi-club. My model is really respecting each club’s legacy," she said. "So it is to really give them what they need, the basic and the important things, and see how far they go.”

Kang's influence extends beyond team ownership: She's a globe-trotting pied piper for women's soccer. She upped the ante for big-name player signings by luring Swedish international Kosovare Asllani to London City before the team was promoted, and more recently helped to make sure U.S. star Trinity Rodman re-signed with the Spirit. She's also a philanthropist who has funded projects with U.S. Soccer that include dedicated research on female athletes to develop best training practices and prevent injuries.

Korean American businesswoman Michele Kang, owner of Olympique Lyonnais, arrives for the Europa League soccer league phase draw in Monaco, Aug. 29, 2025. AP-Yonhap

Source: Korea Times News