Bidders line up for NWSL's Chicago Red Stars, sale expected in spring

A team in one of the largest metro areas and fastest-growing leagues in the U.S. is for sale, and potential buyers are lining up.

The NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars are proving to be a hot commodity, with interested parties numbering in the double digits, sources told Front Office Sports.

• Bids are expected at the end of February.
• The sale process has gone according to schedule and is on pace to be completed in the spring.
• There is still time for a new bidder to swoop in.

Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler said in December that he would sell the club, following a report detailing abuse by former coach Rory Dames and the downplaying of complaints against him by Whisler. The league has banned Dames for life.

The Portland Thorns are also being sold due to similar allegations against former coach Paul Riley and owner Merritt Paulson.

Inner Circle Sports, which is managing the Red Stars sale, declined to comment.

Trio Incoming

The NWSL plans to add three teams, with two debuting in the 2024 season. The new entrants will play in Utah, Boston, and the Bay Area, with the latter two paying a record expansion fee of $50 million. Utah, which had a team from 2018-20, will pay between $2 million and $5 million.

Sources told FOS that the Bay Area team is likely to play in San Francisco or the South Bay, but not in Oakland.