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The Utah Royals are returning to the National Women's Soccer League in 2024 with a group of new investors.
The Royals were in the NWSL from 2018-20 before folding and relocating to Kansas City in December 2020 after former owner Dell Loy Hansen was ousted following reports of racist behavior and a toxic culture with the Royals and MLS club Real Salt Lake.
A formal announcement of the club's return is planned for Saturday, prior to Real Salt Lake's MLS home opener at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and Kraft Analytics Group CEO Jessica Gelman are part of a consortium called 42 Futbol Group that recently invested in Utah Soccer LLC, parent company of the Royals and Real Salt Lake.
The other 42 Futbol Group investors are Netflix vice president Amy Reinhard, former Ernst & Young partner Jim Steger and Eleanor Health CEO Corbin Petro.
According to Sportico, Gelman will serve as the team's alternate governor alongside principal owner David Blitzer. Michelle Hyncik will serve as team president.
EXCLUSIVE: The @UtahRoyalsFC are officially back
Kraft Analytics Group CEO @jessicagelman and Philadelphia 76ers exec @dmorey are part of a group that recently bought into Utah Soccer LLC, the parent of MLS club @realsaltlake and the Royals https://t.co/0VUjhDvghC pic.twitter.com/h16HSBYpMh— Sportico (@Sportico) March 10, 2023
Gelman said the new Utah ownership group is partnering with the local YWCA and plans to support science and technology education opportunities for young women in the community.
"I think we are the best women's soccer league in the world, and attention to those details matters," Gelman told Sportico. "And the investments that we're making into the Utah community are going to be very significant and powerful."
Currently a 12-team league, the NWSL is also planning to add expansion teams in San Francisco and Boston.
--Field Level Media
