CHICAGO (November 19, 2024) – U.S. Soccer today announced a historic gift to the women’s and women’s soccer programs from businesswoman, team owner and women’s sports advocate Michelle Kang. Kang has pledged to donate $30 million over the next five years to U.S. Soccer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This is the largest philanthropic investment in U.S. Soccer’s women’s and women’s programs and the most generous gift ever made to U.S. Soccer. by women.
Kang’s investment will expand competitive opportunities for youth players, expand and improve talent identification, and accelerate the professional development of female players, coaches and referees.
This gift builds on Kang’s historic investment in women’s sports. She is the founder and CEO of Kiniska, the first multi-team global organization dedicated to women’s soccer, and owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminine and London City Lionesses. Kang is also an investor in Just Women’s Sports and IDA Sports, and has donated to the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team. This gift furthers the momentum generated by Arthur M. Blank’s significant lead gift to the U.S. Soccer National Training Center named after him.
“Michelle Kang’s gift will change soccer for women and girls in the United States,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Perlow Cohn. “It will impact generations of women and girls who take part in our game, including players, coaches and referees. I know firsthand the power that football can have on someone’s life and thanks to Michele, , we will be able to provide more support and opportunities for women and girls.”
“Women’s sports have been undervalued and ignored for far too long,” Kang said. “I am committed to setting standards of excellence in women’s football on and off the pitch by providing female athletes with the resources they need to reach their full potential and giving them the professional support they deserve. We hope this investment will serve as “seed capital” and encourage other donors to follow suit. ”
This gift will help US Soccer expand its recruiting tools, talent and camps to provide more opportunities to more players. Kang’s investment will help U.S. Soccer give everyone a chance to shine and ensure no player misses an opportunity. This will allow U.S. Soccer to double the number of national team camps it currently conducts, which equates to six camps for each youth national team age group. Ms. Kang’s donation will fund camps specifically for women and girls, and will also help build U.S. Soccer’s digital talent discovery platform, bringing 12x more players into the youth national team pipeline and reaching 100,000. to enable access to female athletes.
This generous donation will provide an additional 70,000 female coaches and umpires with more professional development opportunities, including education and mentorship, doubling the number of female coaches and umpires participating in the game.
“We believe gifts like this will change the trajectory of our sport,” said Emma Hayes, head coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team. “We are at a pivotal time for U.S. Soccer, and this will help support more female players, coaches and referees in the game.”
Check out Kang’s photo here.
About the U.S. Soccer Federation
US Soccer was founded in 1913 and has served as the official governing body for sports in the United States for more than 100 years. As we look to the future amid unprecedented opportunity, U.S. Soccer is focusing our efforts on five strategic pillars: Fostering the best playing environment through the high quality of referees and coaches and efforts to ensure the safety of participants. Develop winning teams through a solid path and professional league success. Grow the football economy by increasing membership, fandom and commercial success and encourage reinvestment. We build world-class organizations through a revitalized structure and culture, best-in-class talent, DEIB advancement, and more. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.
About Michelle Kang
Michelle Kang is a pioneering business leader and investor dedicated to the advancement of women’s sports around the world. As the first woman of color to own the Washington Spirit, a National Women’s Soccer League team, and majority owner of the Olympique Lyonnais Féminine and the London City Lionesses, she sets new standards across the industry. continues to do so. In 2024, she launched Kynisca, the world’s first multi-team global organization focused on professionalizing women’s football, proving its commercial potential and cultural impact. Known as a power player in women’s sports by Sports Business Journal and one of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports by Sports Illustrated, Michelle serves on multiple nonprofit boards. We support America’s veterans, the arts, and education through. She holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the Yale School of Business.
