What could Lyon’s purchase of Reign FC mean for investment in NWSL?

The NWSL is the most competitive league in women’s soccer, and now the owners of the world’s best team, Lyon, are on the verge of buying in.

Olympique Lyonnais are indisputably the best team in women’s football worldwide and now their owners have set their sights on women’s soccer in America.

On Monday it was announced that Lyon Feminine’s parent company, OL Groupe, have entered into exclusive negotiations to purchase the NWSL’s Reign FC. Per the press release from Reign FC’s official site, a deal is expected to be finalized before the end of January 2020.

Although the NWSL is considered the most competitive league in the world and clubs like Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Wolfsburg, PSG and Manchester City boast strong sides in European competition, there’s no arguing with Lyon’s silverware. They have won France’s Division 1 Feminine 13 straight times (17 total), as well as lifting the UEFA Women’s Champions League four straight times (six total).

“Our ambition has always been to operate the best women’s football club in the world,” Reign FC majority owner Bill Predmore said in the release. “This is a distinction long held by OL, making them the perfect organization to help us achieve our long-term objectives for the club.”

Lyon have set the standard for women’s club soccer in so many ways over the past decade, and their roster is stocked with the best players in the world. Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, England captain Lucy Bronze, Germany star Dzsenifer Marozsan and captain of both Lyon and France Wendie Renard are just some of the global superstars on the team.

For their part, Reign FC aren’t short on talent either. USWNT star Megan Rapinoe, the best player at the Women’s World Cup, and Jess Fishlock are true superstar players, and both women once played for Lyon themselves. They will understand exactly the kinds of resources Lyon can bring to the table for both Seattle’s club and the NWSL as a whole.

NWSL has already set its sights on expanding, with Proof Louisville FC set to become the league’s newest team in 2021, and there has been greater investment in the women’s game from fans and sponsors after the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which the United States won yet again.

It was a meeting during that World Cup which led to OL’s investment, The Equalizer reports:

"Lyon was previously looking into an NWSL expansion team. The Predmore family was in Lyon this summer to watch the final stages of the World Cup, and NWSL leadership asked them to meet with the OL Groupe and give them a general briefing on the league. The OL Groupe emerged from the meeting more impressed with what Reign FC had already built, and around early August, discussion began about the Lyon-based, publicly traded group acquiring Reign FC."

Lyon’s track record, winning mentality, and commitment to growing the women’s game have been impressive, and it will be exciting to see how they improve Reign FC and push the NWSL. There will be cautious optimism from fans, who may be worried about the parity of the league if Lyon send players from its star-studded bench directly to Reign FC, or if the French giants skim off the best talent from the Seattle side. But, overall, this should be great news for the league.

This move will mean more money, more talented players, and the encouragement for more investment in this sensational product that has been undersold by the owner and powers-that-be for far too long.