NWSL's Reign FC acquired by French powerhouse OL Groupe
Posted December 19, 2019 6:00 am
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League has been acquired by the OL Groupe, the parent company of French powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais.
The French group will hold an 89.5% operating stake in the club when the sale closes, which is expected in January. Current Reign FC majority owners Teresa and Bill Predmore will own 7.5% and former NBA star Tony Parker will have a 3% share of the club.
Jean-Michel Aulas will serve as chairman of the club's board of directors, with Parker holding a seat. Bill Predmore will remain the club's CEO. A COO will be named later by OL Groupe and Teresa Predmore will remain as president of the Reign Academy youth programs.
Olympique Lyonnais, more commonly known as Lyon, plays in France's Ligue 1 on the men's side and Division 1 Feminine on the women's side. Lyon has won six women's Champions League titles.
Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
Megan Rapinoe, a forward with the National Women's Soccer League's Reign FC and the U.S. Women's National Team, smiles Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, during a news conference to announce that OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying Reign FC in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
OL Groupe's Gerard Houllier, right, talks with former NBA basketball star Tony Parker, left, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, during a news conference to announce that OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying the National Women's Soccer League's Reign FC team in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Parker will be a minority owner of the team and Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
OL Groupe's Gerard Houllier sits in front of the Rein FC team logo as he speaks, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, during a news conference to announce that OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying the National Women's Soccer League's Reign FC team in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Jean-Michel Aulas, center, owner and president of the French soccer team Olympique Lyonnais, and OL Groupe's Gerard Houllier, left, listen as Bill Predmore, right, former owner of the National Women's Soccer League Reign FC team, speaks Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, at a news conference in Tacoma, Wash. OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying Reign FC, of the in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
Megan Rapinoe, left, a forward with the National Women's Soccer League's Reign FC and the U.S. Women's National Team, listens as former NBA basketball star Tony Parker, right, speaks, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, during a news conference to announce that OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying Reign FC in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Parker will be a minority owner of the team and Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
From left to right, Megan Rapinoe, a forward with the National Women's Soccer League's Reign FC and the U.S. Women's National Team, former NBA basketball star Tony Parker, OL Groupe's Gerard Houllier, Jean-Michel Aulas, owner and president of the French soccer team Olympique Lyonnais, and Bill Predmore, former owner of the National Women's Soccer League Reign FC team, watch a video presentation, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, during a news conference in Tacoma, Wash. OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, is buying Reign FC, of the in a transaction expected to close in January 2020. Reign FC will continue to play its home games at Cheney Stadium, the venue it shares with the Triple-A minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
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