Meet Michele Kang - the woman leading a football revolution

"Our phones, and matter messages, person been ringing disconnected nan hook", says proprietor Michele Kang pinch a smile.

It is 72 hours connected from her London City Lionesses winning promotion to nan Women's Super League.

And it is easy to spot why players, who 18 months agone would person baulked astatine nan thought of joining this club, are now hopeless to beryllium a portion of its Hollywood-style story.

Kang only bought nan Lionesses successful December 2023, erstwhile they were connected nan brink of liquidation. But acknowledgment to her immense financial finance and semipermanent vision, she has turned this erstwhile failing squad into basking property.

"I jump successful earlier anyone tin opportunity this is simply a bully point aliases successful astir cases they deliberation I'm crazy," she tells BBC Sport. "This was not nan first clip I've been called crazy. But I perfectly saw nan imaginable and pinch a small focus, I person ne'er looked back".

London City secured nan constituent they needed for nan Championship title with an enthralling 2-2 draw against title rivals Birmingham astatine St Andrew's successful beforehand of a 9,000-strong crowd.

But if you were watching nan lucifer connected television, you would person been forgiven for asking who was nan glamorous female astatine nan bosom of nan team's celebrations.

Immaculately dressed successful a pick trench overgarment and now trademark acheronian sunglasses, nan 65-year-old Kang took centre shape astatine nan trophy presentation, lifting it pinch her skipper Kosovare Asllani arsenic streamers and fizz popped astir them.

Most owners usually observe specified achievements from nan directors' box. Not Kang, though.

Her attack to that infinitesimal matches her attack to really she does everything. She does it her way.

"Here we are, we made it. It conscionable tells you that pinch due finance and thing is possible," said Kang.

London City are conscionable 1 portion of what is quickly becoming a world women's shot empire for nan able American businesswoman, pinch Kang besides owning eight-time Women's Champions League winners Lyon and Washington Spirit successful nan United States.

Her extremity is to beryllium that women's shot clubs tin beryllium successful and sound business investments without nan engagement of a men's side. So far, no-one has been capable to beryllium her wrong.

While winning nan Championship is an outstanding achievement, nan WSL will beryllium a immense measurement up for her side.

Kang insists they are not aiming to simply past successful nan apical flight, but to thrive.

And that is why astatine 9am, nan greeting aft nan promotion celebrations, her squad – including head Jocelyn Prêcheur, who she lured from Paris St-Germain and sporting head Markel Zubizarreta, who was poached from nan Spanish FA - were already readying for life successful nan apical tier.

"Our imagination from time one, erstwhile we started retired this travel a twelvemonth ago, was building astatine slightest a mid-tier WSL team," Kang adds. "We've seen a batch of men's and women's teams get promoted and nan adjacent twelvemonth they get relegated.

"So we've been trying to build a squad that erstwhile we sewage up, we tin enactment location and beryllium very competitive. We recruited players that measurement and staffing that way."

When asked really galore players they're aiming to enlistee this summer, Kang jokes those decisions are "above my salary grade".

"I do sometimes participate successful convincing and persuading players to subordinate us, but yet who we enlistee is down to nan sporting head and our manager's job," she says. "I person afloat assurance successful them."

That said, no-one would beryllium amazed to spot a big of world stars arriving astatine nan club's training guidelines successful Aylesford, Kent, earlier nan caller play starts successful September.

Despite being successful nan Championship, Kang enticed Sweden internationals Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson, Japanese World Cup champion Saki Kumagai, and ex-Barcelona midfielder Maria Perez to subordinate London City.

For Asllani, who had spells astatine PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid successful her career, playing nether a female proprietor was 1 of nan immense draws.

"For nan first time, I was for illustration OK we person a female investing, not conscionable talking, really giving america each nan resources we request to succeed," said nan 35-year-old, who won nan WSL pinch Manchester City successful 2016.

"You request to put for america to scope occurrence and that is what Michele stands for. She's a powerfulness woman, she's not a talker, she's a doer."

But it is not conscionable connected nan transportation wherever Kang has spent her money arsenic she sees nan bigger image of what a successful squad needs.

At nan training crushed astatine Cobdown Park, 7 Fifa-compliant pitches are group to beryllium fresh for nan players this summer. There are eager plans to build a capacity campus, though readying support for nan projected buildings and accommodation has not yet been secured.

Talking of nan proposals, Kang adds: "It's going to beryllium nan state-of-the-art training centre, amended than really galore of nan men's Premier League training centres."

The nine plays its matches astatine Hayes Lane, which they groundshare pinch League Two men's broadside Bromley, but Kang says they are exploring building a purpose-built stadium for her side.

It each hints to nan truth she will not settee for being conscionable a mid-table WSL squad for agelong - this is simply a set-up worthy of a squad competing successful nan Champions League.

Born successful Seoul, South Korea, Kang moved to nan United States to study. She past made her money successful healthcare and IT, pinch Forbes mag placing her wealthiness astatine $1.2bn (£900m).

Her emotion matter pinch women's shot has been a whirlwind. Having been invited to her first ever lucifer astatine Washington Spirit successful 2021, Kang instantly fell successful emotion pinch nan sport.

"It was acold April day, and I still retrieve vividly. I was mesmerised, for illustration really wholly converted," she says.

"There's thing astir being conscionable astatine a stadium situation pinch nan players, conscionable nan competitory tone going backmost and forth, it is conscionable perfectly nan best. And I deliberation that's really yet what sewage me."

By 2022 Kang was nan mostly proprietor of nan Spirit. A twelvemonth later she added London City Lionesses to her portfolio earlier buying Lyon successful 2024.

"It is simply a batch of fun," she admits. "I don't person my ain children, but each of a abrupt I person 3 teams and players crossed nan Atlantic Ocean. I effort to really beryllium astatine nan games and support my players. That's really, ultimately, nan nosy part."

It whitethorn beryllium fun, but her clubs are not charities, but businesses.

"I saw an unthinkable imaginable of wherever it was versus wherever it could be," says Kang. "The spread I thought was tremendous and I was really amazed no-one saw that, fto unsocial investing successful realising that gap."

So really do nan capital's Lionesses now compete successful a section and create a fanbase that already has 4 established London clubs successful Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham?

"[Washington] Spirit will beryllium nan first 1 to break moreover because they are two, 3 years up and we invested heavy successful instrumentality improvement and firm partnership," reveals Kang.

"The models and nan champion believe are being copied some astatine Lyon and London City, and nan Spirit are besides learning from what Lyon person done. So we're each learning from each other.

"At London City, truthful acold our attraction has been connected nan product, nan sporting side, but we will heavily, heavy put successful instrumentality improvement and building immoderate important fandom and engagement.

"So it will beryllium connected way and we will perfectly fig retired nan financial sustainability complete nan agelong term. Nothing, nary sports team, nary business will past if there's nary sustainability."

Kang's 3 clubs travel nether nan umbrella of her Kynisca Sports International venture. But it does not extremity astatine conscionable investing successful women's football.

In August 2024, Kynisca announced it was mounting up a $50m (£39.2) world finance money to thief amended nan wellness and capacity of elite female athletes.

It was thing Kang said would beryllium "a caller era for female diversion potential" and "drive lasting change".

One of nan first recipients was nan US rugby 7's squad who were awarded $4m (£2.9m) aft winning bronze astatine nan Paris Olympics - a aid prima subordinate Ilona Maher described arsenic "really impactful".

"She saw our value, which we already knew we had, but this was personification genuinely seeing it and investing successful it and this is mounting america up for hopefully a triumph successful LA 2028," said Maher, 28.

Kang has besides pledged a $30m (£23.6m) aid to US Soccer complete nan adjacent 5 years, pinch nan purpose of transforming women and girl's shot successful America.

"She puts her money wherever her rima is," erstwhile Chelsea and existent USWNT head Emma Hayes tells BBC Sport.

"Let maine beryllium clear astir this, she's an astute businesswoman. She knows that women's athletics is 1 of nan areas of athletics that has nan opportunity to explode."

While describing herself arsenic a businesswoman, investor and philanthropist, Kang mightiness besides beryllium nan revolutionary to raise women's shot to moreover greater heights.