aWhen American businesswoman Michelle Kang began her speech in the lavishly appointed Empire Room of Mayfair’s Landmark hotel, outlining her vision for Women’s Championship side London City Lionesses to be “the best team in England”, it was an immediate contrast to the classic image of last season, when the team, who finished eighth in the Women’s Second Division, played their home games at a deserted Princes Park Stadium in Dartford.
Kan, who also owns Washington Spirit and Lyon, had barely finished her opening speech before Princes Park had already been said goodbye. The smaller, lesser-known independent women’s team she bought in December will move to Bromley rather than Mayfair. Her team will share the ground with a men’s League Two club from the next season.
It was interesting, sure, but probably not worth renting a big room in London’s most luxurious hotel.But a few days earlier, a moment that outsiders would have never imagined had happened: One of Sweden’s greatest players of all time walked into the meeting room and gave Can a warm embrace.
When Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani was announced as a new club player, especially from Milan, it was a move that sent shock waves through women’s football worldwide. It is rare to see a player with 187 international caps and two Olympic silver medals outside of a big-name club. When Real Madrid launched their women’s team in 2019, Asllani was chosen as the player to watch, and she seemed even more excited to be joining London City this time around.
As the two sat side by side, Can looked at Asllani with pure gratitude and adoration. Can admitted that many other players she had approached had hesitated to join because of the prospect of playing in the Championship. But that wasn’t the case with Asllani, a former Women’s Super League champion. She said she had spent her career yearning for an owner who believed in women’s sport.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone like Michelle,” she says. “She’s not just a talker, she’s a doer. Everything I’ve been fighting for, she’s fighting for.”
“I could have easily chosen to join one of the top clubs in the world, but after meeting Michelle I knew I wanted to join this club, which is taking women’s football to the next level.”
In England, where powerhouse clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City dominate football, the idea of a team without a men’s team winning the top flight may seem like a fantasy at best to many. Some may resent the prospect of a team trying to buy success. But Kang is committed to providing the women’s players with the best facilities and resources possible, and ultimately winning the WSL title. She aims to show this through action as well as words.
She announced the club had purchased a 23-acre training ground in Kent where they were beginning work to build a “world-class” bespoke training facility, and introduced the team’s new manager, recruited from Paris Saint-Germain, who reached the Champions League semi-finals last season.
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Jocelyn Précieux appeared determined, saying she had “no hesitation” about leaving PSG for the second-tier club after hearing about Can’s plans, with the goal of immediate promotion to the WSL.
The three spoke with poise and confidence about their ambitions, and while not all of the questions posed to Kang were easy, she sought to reassure any potential doubters.
When asked if having multiple clubs would be a successful model for women’s sports, Kang said it was essential, citing examples such as injuries during matches, saying that with data from many clubs, organisations could learn more and build expertise in providing an enhanced training environment tailored to the female body. “With multiple teams, we can pool resources to do that. [research] Once at the central level.”
She also said that no preference would be given to any of the three clubs: “We’re not going to move players around so that one team is better than the other. The goal is to make every team a champion.” [in their countries].”
Contracts for six unnamed players have already been finalised, with further news likely to follow.
It should not be overlooked that the team’s move from Dartford to Bromley may not necessarily be welcome news for the team’s fans. Cann calmly defended the move, saying “My understanding is it’s about a 20-minute journey” (with locals thinking: ‘Hmm, maybe not at rush hour’), but added: “We will continue to work with our fans to make sure they can continue to come to games.”
Kang acknowledged the women’s team was running at a loss but said improving the league’s broadcasting rights contracts was key and he hoped London City could at least break even within the next two to three years.
If her project proves successful, with a WSL victory, the event will be remembered as an “I was there” moment. That won’t be easy to achieve, and whatever happens, it will never be boring.
