'Assets of 1.6455 trillion won': Korean Lion Club Owner "Building Facilities That Surpass the EPL... A Place Only for Women"

*This content was translated by AI.

This is the class of the 'female Mansour'. Michelle Kang (Korean name: Kang Yong-mi), the club owner shaking up the world women's football scene, announced plans to build a state-of-the-art training center that surpasses most men's clubs in the English Premier League (EPL), sparking surprise.

British media 'BBC' reported on the 19th (Korean time) that "Michelle Kang, owner of London City Lionesses, is building a new training center that will set a new standard for women's football and surpass the facilities used by most Premier League men's clubs."

In an interview with 'BBC', club owner Michelle Kang also revealed her confidence regarding the detailed plans for the dedicated training center to open within one year: "We are building a state-of-the-art training center designed specifically for female athletes. Completion is less than a year away." She added, "Even the lead architect who has built training centers for several EPL clubs stated that 'once London City's training center is completed, it will surpass the training facilities of most Premier League men's teams.'"

Explaining the reason for her astronomical infrastructure investment, Kang said, "In the same sport, boys head to training grounds as if it were their natural right. How can we accept the reality that our daughters, granddaughters, and sisters are treated like second-class citizens?" She continued, "For a long time, female athletes have been treated merely as 'small men.' We must create a better environment where female athletes can train and flourish not as small men but as complete female athletes. The gap in reality—where sons are taken to state-of-the-art training centers while daughters are forced to change clothes in public parks or worry about broken equipment—can never be justified."

Inside the training center, an institutional investor specializing in researching the health and injuries of female athletes, which has been neglected for decades, will also be established. Club owner Michelle Kang stated, "Female athletes are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than men, yet 94% of medical science research is focused solely on men, leaving almost nothing known about the female body." She expressed her ambition to pioneer a direct research environment.

Michelle Kang, who was born and raised in Korea, dropped out of Sogang University, moved to the United States, and built her success from scratch, cites her father as the root of these beliefs. He said, "My father, who had only three daughters, taught me that even in the highly conservative Korean society of that time, 'whether you are a daughter or a son, if you pour 100% into what you want to do, you can achieve anything.' Based on the 'American Dream' I have achieved, I want to help the next generation of female athletes avoid repeating the difficulties I faced and focus entirely on becoming top-tier football players."

According to an estimate by American 'Forbes', Michelle Kang (Chairman), who holds assets worth 1.2 billion dollars (approximately 1.6455 trillion won), acquired London City, an independent women's club in England that was facing bankruptcy, after investing in the Washington Spirit in the United States and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in France, bringing them to the top division. Recently, she signed a full-frontal uniform sponsorship deal with global brand Nike, the largest in history, and swept up superstars including Ballon d'Or winner twice Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Mary Earps, and Kadidiatou Diani, sparking a storm by defeating Manchester United 2-1 in the opening match of the 2026–2027 Women's Super League (WSL).

Club owner Michelle Kang's ambition extends beyond London to the entire world. She declared, "I want to acquire teams in Asia, Africa, and South America as well. I will ensure that young girls in these countries can enjoy top-tier facilities and infrastructure not as exclusive privileges of Britain, France, and the United States on TV, but right in their own backyards." She further proclaimed, "I am not doing charity work. I will completely erase the realistic gap between male and female athletes."

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*This content was translated by AI.