Angie and Chris Long ushered in a new era of the National Women’s Soccer League last year when, as primary owners of the Kansas City Current, they opened the league’s first purpose-built stadium. Now, the Longs are expanding their empire.
The Longs, through their family investment company Ballard Capital, have purchased Danish club HB Køge, they have revealed exclusively to ESPN. Chris Long called HB Køge “the precedent transaction” in the Long’s quest to create a global network of clubs.
“We’re not stopping here,” Chris Long told ESPN. “When we think multi club, we feel like we’ve got a blueprint with the Kansas City Current. We feel like we can take that same blueprint, use it here — although I think there’s some definitely different aspects, community-wise — and then we have some other conversations ongoing to extend it further.”
The Longs are the latest owners to join the trend of building a global multi-club network. Fellow NWSL owner Michele Kang owns three teams and counting, and Sixth Street, the majority owner of the NWSL’s…
