It was announced Thursday that former NFL quarterback Eli Manning, WNBA and Seattle Storm star Sue Bird, and New York Giants executive Pete Guelli recently joined the ownership group for NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Sources say the investment is at $40 million in valuation, higher than the league-record $35 million held by the Washington Spirit deal with Michele Kang back in February.
This announcement also comes after Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures, founded by the Brooklyn Nets star alongside Rich Kleiman, and former Gotham FC captain (2018-2021) Carli Lloyd became minority owners this past spring.
Bird is a New York native playing in her final WNBA season after a 19-season career with the Seattle Storm. She is also the fiancé of current OL Reign star, Megan Rapinoe.
Manning spent 16 seasons with the New York Giants, retiring in 2019, and now is a partner
at Brand Velocity Partners which operates as a private equity firm.
Representatives from NJ/NY Gotham FC have declined to comment on this news at this time.
Ever since the debut of Angel City FC, founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian with an investor list including Serena Williams, Natalie Portman, Candace Parker, and former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach alongside investment in the North Carolina Courage by Naomi Osaka back in 2021, several NWSL teams are following the trend of adding celebrity investors to their name with hopes to grow the women’s game in their respective communities.
