Michele Kang’s hands-on approach reshapes London City Lionesses and stirs debate in WSL

Michele Kang’s arrival as owner of London City Lionesses has coincided with a rapid transformation of the club and renewed debate about multi-club ownership in women's football.

Since completing the purchase of the independent club in December 2023, the American businesswoman — who also oversees Washington Spirit in the NWSL and Lyon in France — has been a visible presence at the team’s training ground in Kent and at matches, combining high-profile summer recruitment with large-scale investment in facilities and female-specific research.

Kang has been directly involved in recruitment, infrastructure planning and day-to-day oversight while insisting her role is to set vision and hire experts rather than run coaching or tactical matters. Manager Jocelyn Precheur, appointed in 2024, is charged with on-pitch leadership. Kang told BBC Sport she is "very involved in terms of wanting to know" and will take steps to help convince players to join the club, but stressed: "If I'm the smartest person in the room, I have failed miserably."

The club strengthened heavily in the summer transfer window, making 16 permanent signings and attracting established internationals, a strategy that helped London City return to the Women's Super League. The final signing of the window, France international Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain, prompted widespread transfer-fee speculation that Kang disputed. She said the highest fee Kang-affiliated clubs have ever paid is 1 million euros, and expressed disappointment about inaccurate reporting of transfer figures.

Kang has also directed funding toward what she describes as a "world-class, female-specific training facility" and other infrastructure upgrades. She said the club has worked with architects to design standards modelled on Premier League benchmarks and intends to replicate those standards across her clubs. The ownership is preparing for growth in matchday capacity at Hayes Lane, where the club expects just under 2,000 fans for its first home WSL fixture against Manchester United.

Kang’s multi-club ownership model has been a flashpoint in the men's game and is drawing attention in the women's game as clubs seek new revenue and scale. Critics have asked whether shared ownership can distort transfer markets or create feeder relationships between clubs. Kang acknowledged those concerns but framed her approach as a practical necessity for investment in a market that lacks the extensive media deals and sponsorship revenue seen in men's football.

"We should pool that research together and share it. It's the same with global scouting," Kang said. She rejected the idea that her model is about creating feeder teams, arguing instead that scale allows for collective investment in research, scouting and athlete development that can lift the product, attract fans and make women's football more commercially viable. "Women's football is not a charity," she added, saying the focus must be on delivering a compelling matchday product and a sustainable business model.

Kang also addressed pay and market constraints. With minimum salaries introduced across the WSL this season, she said London City is striving to pay "a fair salary for what [players] are worth in a market that's growing rapidly" and acknowledged league discussions about potential salary caps in the future. She pointed to high-profile departures to London City — including captain Kosovare Asllani, who left AC Milan to sign in 2024 — as evidence that investment in a clear project can persuade established players to join a team without Champions League football.

On the field, Kang said the club is aiming for a top-half finish in its first season back in the top flight, while acknowledging progress will take time. Precheur’s side lost 4-1 to Arsenal on the opening weekend but showed "glimpses" of competitiveness by taking the lead through Asllani. Kang said the objective is to build sustainable foundations rather than chase immediate titles, though she admitted privately she relishes the prospect of challenging at the top in time.

Beyond league aspirations, Kang frames her work at London City — and across her other clubs — as part of a broader mission to expand opportunity in women's sport. She said she wants to "enable all young girls to reach their dreams," describing the current state of the women’s game as "the best-kept secret" because of high levels of athleticism and entertainment that remain underappreciated.

Kang’s approach combines visible, hands-on ownership with significant financial outlay and a public case for a collaborative model of investment across clubs. As the WSL introduces structured pay and prepares for further commercial growth, her interventions at London City Lionesses are likely to be watched closely by rivals, regulators and supporters who remain divided over how best to scale women’s football without repeating the perceived excesses of the men’s game.