LOS ANGELES -- Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang announced on Friday that she is handing over her female athlete innovation hub and making an additional $25 million investment to support U.S. Soccer's efforts, bringing Kang's total investment into federation operation to $55 million.
Last year, Kang pledged $30 million over five years to U.S. Soccer to professionalize women's and girls' soccer, from the playing and coaching pathways to administrative opportunities.
With Friday's announcement, made at U.S. Soccer's SheBelieves Summit in downtown LA, Kang has promised to integrate the operations of her Kynisca Innovation Hub -- a science-backed platform dedicated to improving how female athletes train -- into U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward Foundation.
The platform launched last July during the Olympics, where the United States women's national team won a fifth gold medal.
The goal of the integration, according to Kang and U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson, is to scale resources at a national level.
The move aligns with USWNT Emma Hayes' female-first approach, a plan which Hayes has separately developed for the federation.
"This partnership is key in accelerating our in service to soccer strategy," Batson said in a statement.
"At U.S. Soccer, we believe soccer is a force for good, and the Soccer Forward Foundation exists to collaborate with those driving meaningful progress. Kynisca Innovation Hub and Soccer Forward share a mission to advance women's soccer, and by combining efforts, we're creating an unmatched platform for research, innovation, and long-term impact."
Kang remains as the owner of the similarly named Kynisca umbrella operation, which holds majority ownership in the NWSL's Washington Spirit, French women's powerhouse Lyon, and English second-tier side London City Lionesses.
"This integration represents a major step forward in advancing research and setting new standards for women's sports," Kang said in a statement.
"By working together, we are ensuring that players at all levels benefit from innovative insights and best practices. Women's soccer is experiencing historic growth, but there's still work to be done to break down systemic barriers and secure the investment needed for female athletes."
The two key objectives of the collaboration will be research to advance the health of players in the sport, and to establish performance and development best practices.
Soccer Forward, which is a foundation established by the federation to create a legacy around next year's co-hosted men's World Cup, will serve to amplify the best practices.
U.S. Soccer said it expects the new collaboration with Kynisca Innovation Hub to drive further impact ahead of the 2031 Women's World Cup, which the U.S. is expected to host (potentially alongside other Concacaf nations) after submitting the only "valid bid."
"As we continue to look at soccer through a female lens, this partnership will be a game changer for the future of women's soccer," Hayes said in a statement.
"This initiative will not only help us do important work to better understand the health of female athletes, but it will impact the support and resources across all aspects of the women's game.
"We want to help our players perform at their best and ensure they have everything they need, both on and off the field, to help them reach their potentials as elite female athletes."