The GIST

Sixth Street launches Bay Collective to invest in women’s soccer teams globally

Private equity (PE) giant and Bay FC majority owner Sixth Street is launching a new multi-club women’s soccer organization called Bay Collective. Similar to trailblazer Michele Kang’s Kynisca, the collective aims to foster growth in women’s soccer by investing in clubs worldwide while also creating opportunities to further capitalize on the women’s game.

January 22, 2025

European leagues lead the way in latest Deloitte report on women’s soccer revenue

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On Friday, Deloitte released its third annual Deloitte Football Money League report profiling 15 top revenue-generating women’s soccer clubs during the 2023–2024 season. Deloitte’s data included leagues throughout most of Europe, Brazil, and Japan, but didn’t include data from the U.S. or Australia.

January 22, 2025

Denver wins bid for 16th NWSL team thanks to historic $110M expansion fee

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Per Sportico, Denver beat out competing NWSL cities Cincinnati and Cleveland to secure the league’s 16th franchise yesterday. Investors reportedly paid an expansion fee of $110M, which more than doubles the previous NWSL record and marks the biggest expansion fee in U.S. women’s sports history.

January 03, 2025

Netflix bags U.S. media rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments

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Netflix pulled off quite the heist on Friday by acquiring the U.S. media rights for the 2027 and 2031 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC). It will be Netflix’s first time covering an entire sports tournament and marks FIFA’s biggest deal with a streamer, not to mention it’s the first time the WWC’s U.S. rights were sold separately from the men’s FIFA World Cup.

December 23, 2024

UEFA establishes second-tier club tournament as investment in women’s soccer deepens

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In addition to sweetening the pot for Europe’s national teams, UEFA has been committed to creating a holistic ecosystem for women’s soccer at the club level. On Monday, the organization shared details around the Women’s Europa Cup, a second-tier club competition hoping to drive domestic investment in the women’s game across Europe.

December 18, 2024

Billionaire Marc Lasry and Avenue Sports Fund back out of NC Courage deal

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Per Sportico, billionaire sports investor Marc Lasry and his sports-focused private equity (PE) firm Avenue Sports Fund are no longer pursuing the purchase of the NC Courage, citing “NWSL restrictions for private equity investment as a control[ling] owner in teams.” With the NWSL being a sports league that uniquely allows PE investment, let’s dive into what we know.

December 02, 2024

Angel City FC invests in team, community with multimillion dollar practice facility

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Angel City FC (ACFC) announced yesterday that it’s constructing a new and improved, nine-acre performance center on California Lutheran University’s campus, the largest such facility dedicated exclusively to an NWSL club. The move comes as ACFC continues to strive for business growth and upping its valuation.

November 15, 2024

Sports Business

UK broadcasters Sky and the BBC agree to historic WSL media rights deal

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November 04, 2024

Women’s footy has finally caught its big break across the pond. Last week, the WSL — the top flight of UK women’s soccer — inked a five-year rights extension with Sky Sports and the BBC worth $84.5M. The deal follows months of speculation and has already been dubbed the “most significant” TV contract for women’s soccer in the UK and Ireland.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #429

Blockbuster WNBA trade & the evolving women’s hoops landscape

January 28, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Blockbuster WNBA trade & the evolving women’s hoops landscape

Happy Tuesday!

Or should we say hoopy Tuesday because today’s episode of The GIST of It is all about the WNBA. A blockbuster three-team trade sent shockwaves through the league over the weekend, so co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are breaking down which players are on the move (hint: it’s two All-Stars) and the potential impact of this massive deal.

Then in part two, the gals keep the focus on the W, discussing the evolving landscape in women’s basketball and some free agents to keep an eye on as the offseason rolls on. Thanks for tuning in!