KC Current has launched multi-club ownership model. What does that mean for KC?

On Tuesday, Kansas City Current founders and co-owners Angie and Chris Long announced through Ballard Capital — an investment company they own — they have purchased HB Koge Women, a top-flight women’s soccer club in Denmark.

HB Koge was previously owned by Capelli Sport, one of the primary suppliers of youth and lower-division soccer equipment and uniforms. Capelli Sport still owns and operates the men’s team, while the Longs and Ballard Capital own the women’s team.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with HB Køge Women, the supporters and, of course, the broader community,” Angie and Chris Long said in a statement released by the club. “We are incredibly proud of everything the Kansas City Current has built, and we look forward to using that blueprint and working closely with key partners in Denmark to further elevate HB Køge Women and the region. Our goal is to win Danish League championships while competing successfully at the highest levels within the global football ecosystem.”

HB Koge hasn’t existed for very long. The club of Herfolge merged with Koge Boldklub, who was bankrupt, in 2009 to create HB Koge. While the men’s team hasn’t had much success since the merger, the women’s team is the opposite.

The women’s team won three straight Danish League titles from 2021-2023 and has appeared regularly in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Several current NWSL players have played at HB Koge in recent years, including San Diego Wave duo Kyra Carusa and Makenzy Robbe, as well as Racing Louisville defender Maddie Pokorny.

ESPN reported that the Longs will double the current investment in the youth academy at HB Koge and bring back the team’s former general manager, Walid Khoury, as CEO.

Khoury is also the founder of Slammers FC, a youth soccer team based in Southern California. The Longs’ daughter, Mary Long, played with Slammers FC Girls Academy before attending Duke and eventually signing a pro contract with the Current.

What’s a multi-club model?

In the men’s game, many multi-club models exist. Red Bull has clubs in Germany, Brazil, Austria, the United States and Japan. Manchester City has teams in England, Brazil, Spain, Australia and the United States, among others.

Coaches and players can progress up the ladder at multiple stops within the same group. For example, American coach Jesse Marsch started out with the New York Red Bulls, then later joined the coaching staff at RB Leipzig. A year later, RB Salzburg’s coach became the coach at Leipzig, and Marsch became the head coach at Salzburg.

Marsch’s next step was — you guessed it — Leipzig three years later.

In the women’s game, Michele Kang might be the most notable of those who operate a multi-club network. Kang owns the Washington Spirit, French powerhouse OL Lyonnes and London City Lionesses.

What remains to be seen is the sharing of technical resources across multi-club ownership groups in the women’s game, although Kang may be putting that to the test. There are reports that OL Lyonnes is on the verge of hiring Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez as its new head coach.

As for the Current, this is just the start of a multi-club global network. In an interview with ESPN, Chris Long said it was the first transaction to create a global network of clubs.

“We’re not stopping here,” Chris Long said. “When we think multi-club, we feel like we’ve got a blueprint with the Kansas City Current.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.