Michele Kang set out to achieve a historic first in global sports ownership: the creation of a privately owned, multi-team women’s football organization in France, operating independently from a men’s team.
This groundbreaking venture involved the spin-off from Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (OLF) — Europe’s most decorated women’s football team — from OL Groupe.
The deal presented significant complexity on multiple fronts, requiring close coordination across legal teams in France, the US, and the UK. At the heart of the challenge was the need to design and implement an entirely new regulatory and commercial framework. In addition, we had to ensure that the new entity could benefit from OL Groupe’s brand and infrastructure, while maintaining operational separation from the men’s team. All of this took place in a highly scrutinized, public environment that demanded careful navigation of not only sports and regulatory law, but also intellectual property, commercial structuring, and brand strategy.
A blueprint for the future of women’s sport.
We led the negotiation and structuring of global licensing and master services agreements that enabled the formation of a standalone commercial entity for the women’s team, while maintaining compliance with French football regulations. Our legal innovation allowed two separate commercial operations — one for the men’s and one for the women’s team — to co-exist.
We developed a long-term licensing framework granting the new women’s entity access to the OL brand and secured essential commercial arrangements across sponsorship, ticketing, IT, media rights, and stadium operations. This included ensuring continued access to premium facilities such as Groupama Stadium and the OL Academy, while advising on facility development and engagement with local municipalities.
The agreement provided the foundations for long-term independence, growth, and commercial success, setting a new standard for women’s sports ownership.
Our cross-border team’s ability to work seamlessly across jurisdictions and disciplines was critical to delivering this transformative result and achieving our client’s ambitious vision.
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