Michele Kang is an ‘idol’ - Lyon players share what it’s like to have the football tycoon on board

Lyon are a powerhouse in women’s football undergoing a new era, and football tycoon Michele Kang is at the heart of it.

Kang took majority ownership of the eight-time UEFA Women’s Champions League winners in 2023 and has big ambitions for the club, on and off the pitch.

As their pursuit of a ninth UWCL title continues, Lyon players Jule Brand and Ashley Lawrence were full of praise for Kang and her ambitions at the most successful women’s team in Europe.

‘She’s an idol’ - Jule Brand

Kang is a South Korea-born American businesswoman and has quickly become a tycoon in women’s football, taking majority ownership of Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in 2023.

Germany international Jule Brand joined the French side from Wolfsburg in the summer, and praised Kang’s involvement in the club.

“She’s helping a lot,” the 23-year-old, who impressed at the summer’s European Championship, said. “It's incredible what she's doing for the club and for women's football.

“It's very inspirational and it also pushes us all as players more together. To see what she's doing, we want to help and stick together as a team.

“She’s just like an idol. It's amazing what she's doing and we want to help and to support because she's supporting us a lot and we want to give back also.”

Kang is driving a multi-club model centred entirely on women’s sport under her Kynisca Sports International group, having first become interested in women’s football after meeting the World Cup-winning US women’s team in 2019.

The first club she became involved with was Washington Spirit, who play in the NWSL. Lyon was next, followed by London City Lionesses, who earned a promotion into the WSL after Kang’s investment.

Kang’s arrival to Lyon in 2023 marked a major shift at the club - she separated the women’s team from the men’s club structure, giving it its own dedicated leadership, resources, and strategy.

As she has done with her other clubs, Kang has poured significant investment into the women’s side at Lyon, hiring new staff members, improving performance and medical departments and raising standards so her women’s teams receives the same level of professional support as elite men’s sides.

As well as raising standards, her vision at Lyon includes building a dedicated women’s stadium and training facility, increasing matchday attendances, in a league which has historically struggled with big crowds.

‘She cares about us as human beings’ - Ashley Lawrence

Canadian international Ashley Lawrence also joined Lyon in the summer, after two seasons at Chelsea, and time and she is already noticing first-hand Kang’s impact.

“Michelle Kang is instrumental to everything,” the 30-year-old said. “We see every time that she talks about Lyon and her other projects, just the passion that she has.

“She has so much drive to push things, that may have been stagnant for some time, forward. She is definitely is a driving force and it's really exciting to be a part of one of her projects because you can feel it.

“For me, being at Lyon, you can feel the ambition, what she's looking to improve. Of course, the performance and the results on the pitch, but it's even beyond that.

“It's us as players, as women, as human beings, really looking to push us and find ways to help us improve and to be the best versions of ourselves.

“That’s always been the foundation and the first message that I heard before signing and it's been consistent throughout this season amongst all the players at Lyon and her other teams.

“It’s really, really special, you can feel it and that's exciting.”

Watch every match of the UEFA Women's Champion League, live on Disney+ as part of existing customer subscriptions.