Reign FC owner Bill Predmore said a change for the team all started at the World Cup.
Predmore was in France to cheer on the franchise’s players in the event, when business came calling.
“My family and I were in town to watch the games,” said Predmore. “It turned out it sort of coincided with this realization that [my wife] Teresa and I had that it was probably time to find an organization that could build upon what we’ve done in the past.”
So, they took a meeting with the leadership for Olympique Lyonnais, a powerhouse club based in Lyon, France. OL had been kicking the tires on expanding overseas and purchasing a National Women’s Soccer League franchise.
‘OL’, or Lyon as the club is known for short, has a highly successful women’s team that has won multiple titles. Reign FC star player Megan Rapinoe also once played for them.
The Predmores were trying to find some stability with Reign FC. They are the original owners and founded the team back in 2012, but they had grown frustrated with Seattle’s Memorial Stadium and openly criticized the facility before moving the team to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma last year.
Gerald Houiller, of the OL Groupe, said the talks continued for months and OL’s leadership stressed that their organization considers that “girls have to get the same. If it’s good for the boys, it’s good for the girls.”
On Thursday, the two sides announced they had a deal. OL will buy nearly 90% of the franchise, and the Predmores will run the day-to-day operations as minority owners.
NBA champion and longtime player Tony Parker will also be a minority owner. Parker, who is of French descent, has dabbled in sports management in his country of origin and seems excited to be a part of the organization.
Parker gazed through the Cheney Stadium windows, looking out at the rain, while talking about the Reign.
“We talked to different teams,” Parker said about the negotiation, but “this was the perfect fit.”
While Parker may be known for hoops, he spent his childhood kicking the ball around.
“I love soccer, you know I played soccer before basketball. When I was 6 years old, I played four years of soccer, but then I was just better as basketball. Excited to stick with basketball, worked out pretty good for me, but I always have loved soccer,” said the now-retired NBA star. “I will definitely attend games,” Parker continued, “When I get involved in something I like to you know to be very involved.”
He hopes to make the season opener in April.
Both Reign's Predmore and OL's Houiller said no immediate changes will be noticeable, although there will likely be more money put into training, nutrition, and the academies first. There are some natural synergies between the established Academy in France, and the one that the Reign FC have been running for young girls.
Houiller said one of the parts of the deal is for Reign to remain in Tacoma, and OL to invest in a soccer-specific stadium near Cheney, that the Reign and Sounders hope to open by 2022.
Beyond that, Predmore was asked if the logo, crest or colors won’t change. “I would not say that that is accurate, so I think right now it’s too early to tell what will happen with the brand."
Yet, he said, in a week full of emotion that he’s confident about the future.
“I have loved being a part of the organization. I think it has been fulfilling in a way that was sort of entirely unexpected. I think the opportunity to work with the players, in particular, was just not something that I could imagine I would have enjoyed as you know as much as I have. So, you know, on the one hand, it was, it was hard to have a change that I've loved it so much, but on the other hand, I knew it was something that had to happen.” Predmore added, “I truly cannot think of a better organization to, to build upon what we've done and I am excited to work with them over the next few years to see what we can do together.”