The NWSL San Diego Wave "will have new owners by the season's end" following a sale that puts the club’s value at $113M. The two-transaction sale to Levine Leichtman Capital was first reported by Sportico. Lauren Leichtman and husband Arthur Levine "will initially join as significant minority investors" and "acquire a majority stake at the end of the season." Current owner Rob Burkle "will control the team until then." The sale, which "could eventually be worth" $120M, is "significantly higher than the previous record sale" of $63M paid by the Bhathal family for the Portland Thorns earlier this year ( AP, 3/14 ).
Levine and Leichtman already have purchased 35% of the team for $35M and they will buy the other 65% for $78M at the end of the 2024 season. Levine and Leichtman have a "longstanding relationship" with Wave President Jill Ellis dating to her time as UCLA women’s soccer coach. The couple are longtime Bruins donors and boosters ( SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/14 ).
