Last updated on March 12th, 2023 at 01:32 am
The National Women’s Soccer League confirmed that Utah will be part of the league in 2024. Thus, the Utah Royals is the latest NWSL expansion team. According to bookie pay per head sources, Ryan Smith and David Blitzer are the team owners of the team. They also own Real Salt Lake in the Major League Soccer.
According to soccer betting tutorials and news sites, the NWSL expansion fee is from $2 million to $5 million. The Royals used to be part of the NWSL from 2018 to 2020. Also, both owners have stakes in other sports teams.
Blitzer has stakes in Crystal Palace of the Premier League, Augsburg FC of the German Bundesliga, Waasland-Beveren of the Belgian league, and GD Estoril Praia of the Portuguese League. Also, he is part owner of the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and New Jersey Devils of the NHL. On the other hand, Smith owns the Utah Jazz of the NBA.
Latest NWSL Expansion Team
The squad was purchased by Blitzer and Smith at a significant discount. According to bookie news sources, the start-up costs for a Boston or San Francisco Bay Area expansion franchise are at least $50 million, making them at least 10 times as much as what Blitzer and Smith are spending.
When former Royals and RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen was forced to sell the teams because of a poisonous work environment and racial slurs, it opened the door for Blitzer and Smith to capitalize on the chance.
As bad as that was, it was not the worst of the cruel treatment. As reported by the joint NWSL/NWSL Players Association inquiry, former Royals manager Craig Harrington was accused of verbally abusing and making sexual approaches toward several of his team’s players.