Caitlin Clark, a guard for the Indiana Fever, used her celebrity to support a bid for a National Women's Soccer League expansion team, but the NWSL is apparently taking the money in a different direction.
Sportico reports that the women's soccer league has started exclusive talks with a Denver-based group for the league's sixteenth franchise. According to the report's sources, the expansion fee is anticipated to range from $105 million to $120 million.
Although it is far from finalized, a final figure in that range would break the previous record of $53 million for a women's sports franchise expansion fee, which was set by recent NWSL expansion teams Boston and Bay FC.
Commissioner Jessica Berman announced prior to the NWSL Championship in November that the league had reduced its search for expansion to three finalists: Cleveland, Denver, and Clark's Cincinnati-based team.
Along with the owners of the MLS team FC Cincinnati, the WNBA player participated in the Cincinnati bid. Their plan called for $5 million to build a new training facility specifically for the women's team and shared use of FC Cincinnati's three-year-old TQL Stadium.
"She wants to win and see this happen," Jeff Birding, co-CEO of FC Cincinnati, spoke to The Athletic regarding Clark's role. "She will have a fantastic opportunity to be involved in a meaningful way, even though she is 100 miles away with her Indianapolis-based WNBA team."
According to the NWSL commissioner, Clark, who was among the top 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2024, added credibility to the bid. Last month, Berman remarked, "It is an honor to have her interest in the NWSL."
It was insufficient to deter the league from accepting the Denver bid's staggering numbers. Social media users were quick to accuse the NWSL of making a mistake.
The Denver group, dubbed For Denver FC, is headed by Robert Cohen, CEO of IMA Financial Group, who provides a sizable amount of the funding and would also be the team's control owner.
In addition, it features former Obama administration official Ben Hubbard, sports business magnate Tom Dunmore, Phos CEO Nicole Glaros, and former NWSL player Jordan Angeli.