The Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang was already the majority owner of the NWSL club Washington Spirit and the French top team Lyon when she bought into London City Lionesses in December 2023.
Last year, the London club was close to being relegated to the second division, but before this season, the Swedish star Kosovare Asllani was recruited. Her national team colleague Sofia Jakobsson and nationally merited Julia Roddar followed.
"Been under pressure"
The stated goal was to take the club to the Super League – the English top division.
It means so much. It was the goal from the beginning to come here, says Asllani to SVT and continues:
To succeed in creating a winning team...It's not something that comes by itself. It's something we have fought incredibly hard with. I'm just so damn proud of the team.
In the end, it all boiled down to the season's final league match away against table two Birmingham. A draw would be enough for London to snatch the only promotion spot, considering the team had two points ahead of the competitor.
After a goalless first half, they grabbed hold of the promotion directly after the break.
In the 47th minute, Asllani released the ball to Isobel Goodwin. The English U23 national team player walked into the pitch from the left flank and sent in a cannon.
Dream goal
Twelve minutes later, it was also 2–0. Kosovare Asllani hit a perfect right corner and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah could extend the lead with a nod.
In the stands, Kang cheered, but the mission was not completed. Far from it.
With barely half an hour left to play, Emily van Egmond nodded in the reduction and in the 86th minute, Cho So-Hyun scored a dream goal. The South Korean national team veteran clipped the ball on the volley and the 2–2 ball sailed into the goal.
Over eleven nervous added minutes waited, but there were no more goals. London won the series on 43 points – two points ahead of Birmingham, which will remain in the second division.
London City Lionesses was founded in 2019 as a breakaway from Millwall and is a pure women's club.
In December 2023, the Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang bought into the club as the new majority owner. Kang was already the majority owner of Washington Spirit and Lyon.
London City has played their home matches at Hayes Lane in Bromley, southeast of London.
