Who owns every NWSL club? Serena Williams, Patrick Mahomes, Kevin Durant & everything you need to know about star-studded investors

Angel City is undoubtedly the club with the most star-studded ownership group, one led by actress Natalie Portman, entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and venture capitalists Kara Nortman and Alexis Ohanian.

Founded in 2021, big names such as tennis legend Serena Williams, actresses Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria, plus a whole host of U.S. women's national team icons - including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Shannon Boxx, Lauren Holiday and Abby Wambach - were involved from the get-go.

Plenty more have become part of the growing group of owners since, too. They include another tennis icon in Billie Jean King, WNBA star Candace Parker, TV host James Corden and Super Bowl LVI champion Matthew Stafford.

Primary owners: Natalie Portman, Kara Nortman, Julie Uhrmann and Alexis Ohanian

Celebrity investors: Uzo Aduba, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Van Hollebeke, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair, Ronnie Fair, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini, Saskia Webber, Lauren Holiday, Abby Wambach, America Ferrera, James Corden, Candace Parker, P. K. Subban, Matthew Stafford

Ownership in the NWSL isn't all rosy and glamorous, though. Sadly, there have been a lot of controversies in the league in recent years, one of which saw the Chicago Red Stars' former coach, Rory Dames, banned from coaching in the division ever again.

Investigations found Dames had been emotionally and verbally abusive toward players and that reports by players, specifically U.S. women’s national team star Christen Press, were mishandled and largely ignored by U.S. Soccer, the NWSL and Arnim Whisler, the majority owner of the Red Stars.

Whisler has since been removed as chairman of the board and is in the process of selling the club.

Primary owner: Arnim Whisler

Houston Dash is owned by the same ownership group as the Houston Dynamo, which is led by Ted Segal. He fully controls ownership after buying out his remaining minority partners in the summer of 2022.

The group also includes some star names in the sporting world, with boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya and NBA star James Harden also on board.

Primary owner: Ted Segal

Celebrity investors: James Harden, Oscar de la Hoya

Back in 2017, two-time NWSL champions FC Kansas City ceased operations and saw its player-related assets transferred to NWSL expansion team Utah Royals. Three years later, when the Royals had to cease operations after controversy surrounding the team's owner, financial executives Angie and Chris Long took the opportunity to bring the NWSL back to Kansas City with the Royals' assets.

The Kansas City Current's ownership group is led by the pair, but it has also had a star name attached to it since day one as Brittany Mahomes, wife of NFL quarterback Patrick, also bought a stake in the team in late 2020.

The Kansas City Chiefs' star, a two-time Super Bowl winner, joined the ownership group in January 2023.

Primary owner: Angie and Chris Long

Celebrity investors: Patrick Mahomes

NJ/NY Gotham FC was founded back in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, with co-founders Tammy and Phil Murphy and Steven Temares remaining part of the ownership group to this day.

Since the club's rebrand in April 2021, a number of star names have invested in the team, too. USWNT icon Carli Lloyd joined the ownership group that same month, with NBA star Kevin Durant following only a few days later.

Four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird and two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning have also invested in Gotham FC.

Primary owner: Steven Temares, Tammy and Phil Murphy

Celebrity investors: Carli Lloyd, Kevin Durant, Sue Bird, Eli Manning

In early 2017, businessman Steve Malik purchased NWSL champion Western New York Flash and relocated the club to North Carolina, renaming it the North Carolina Courage.

Four years later, and just a few weeks before she would win her fourth Grand Slam title, tennis star Naomi Osaka became the first investor in the Courage since Malik acquired the team.

Primary owner: Steve Malik

Celebrity investors: Naomi Osaka

Founded back in 2012 as Seattle Reign, the club was wholly owned by Bill and Teresa Predmore until January 2019. Later that year, the Reign was sold to OL Groupe, the parent company of Olympique Lyonnais, and would soon become OL Reign.

In April 2023, OL Groupe announced its intentional to sell the club and the process is currently ongoing.

Primary owner: OL Groupe

Orlando Pride is affiliated with MLS club Orlando City and therefore has the same ownership group as the 2022 U.S. Open Cup champion.

That is led by Mark Wilf who, along with brother Zygi and cousin Lenny, became majority owners of the club in July 2021. The family also own an NFL team, in the Minnesota Vikings.

Primary owner: The Wilf family

Portland Thorns, affiliated with MLS club the Portland Timbers, is another NWSL team currently going through a sale process.

Merritt Paulson gained majority ownership of the Timbers in 2007 but stepped down as CEO in 2022 over his handling of abuse allegations with the Thorns.

In December, he announced that he intends to sell the Thorns - but not the Timbers.

Primary owner: Merritt Paulson

Racing Louisville, formed in late 2019, is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC. The company also owns Louisville City FC, a men's club that plays in the USL Championship.

Primary owner: Soccer Holdings LLC

Founded in 2021, the San Diego Wave is owned by American businessman Ron Burkle. He has a history of investing in sports teams in the U.S., owning a stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL.

Primary owner: Ron Burkle

Michele Kang has been the majority owner of the Washington Spirit since March 2022, having originally joined the ownership group back in late 2020.

This came after the Spirit was implicated in the NWSL's abuse scandal, with head coach Richie Burke among those to be banned by the league in the aftermath. As a result, the Spirit's owners were urged to sell the team but its players published an open letter urging CEO Steve Baldwin to sell to Kang.

After a complicated process, which for a period of time involved discussions with Todd Boehly, now the co-owner of English Premier League side Chelsea, he would eventually do so.

In May 2023, Kang and OL Groupe announced the formation of a separate entity that would own the Spirit and Olympique Lyonnais' women's team, an eight-time European champion. Kang will remain the Spirit's majority owner and also its CEO.

To avoid a conflict of interests in the NWSL, this development has led to OL Groupe beginning the process of selling OL Reign.

Primary owner: Michele Kang