Franchise Sale Prices: Soccer

The following are sale prices of North American professional soccer teams, either published in the media or provided by sources with direct knowledge of the transactions.  If you would like to know our source for a particular transaction, contact us and we’ll be happy to share, unless the information was provided on background by an industry source.

Disclaimers:

As with all business numbers in sports, understand that these figures are occasionally misrepresented by owners or obscured by faulty memories.  Prices may represent the price of a controlling interest in a team, but not 100% of the shares.  In a few cases, we have used the less than (<), greater than (>) and estimated (~) symbols to indicate partial information gleaned about a sale.

Major League Soccer (1996-Present)

Expansion fees:

• 1997 – Chicago Fire – $5.0 million (Anschutz Entertainment Group)
• 1997 – Miami Fusion – $20.0 million (Kenneth Horowitz)
• 2004 – Chivas USA – $10.0 million (Jorge Vergara)*
• 2004 – Real Salt Lake – $10.0 million (David Checketts)
• 2007 – Seattle Sounders – $30.0 million (Joe Roth, Paul Allen, Adrian Hanauer, Drew Carey)
• 2008 – Philadelphia Union – $30.0 million (Jay Sugarman et al.)
• 2009 – Portland Timbers – $35.0 million (Merritt Paulson)
• 2009 – Vancouver Whitecaps – $35.0 million (Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, Steve Nash)
• 2010 – Montreal Impact – $40.0 million (Joey Saputo, et al.)
• 2013 – New York City FC – $100.0 million (Manchester City & New York Yankees)
• 2016 – Minnesota United FC – $100.0 million (Bill McGuire, et al.)

Sales of existing franchises:

• 1998 – Los Angeles Galaxy – $26.0 million (MLS to Anschutz Entertainment Group)
• 2007 – Chicago Fire – $35.0 million (Anschutz Entertainment Group to Andell Holdings)
• 2013 – Columbus Crew – $68.0 million (Hunt Sports Group to Anthony Precourt)

*Plus a reported $15 million fee to Anschutz Entertainment to enter the Los Angeles market already occupied by AEG’s Los Angeles Galaxy club

North American Soccer League (1968-1984)

Expansion fees:

• 1977 – Caribous of Colorado – $1.0 million (Booth Gardner and James Guercio)

Sales of existing franchises:

• 1975 – Washington Diplomats – $650,000 (Jim Karvellas et al. to Joseph Danzansky)
• 1978 – Rochester Lancers – $400,000 for a 20% interest (Blue & Gold Ltd. to Bernard Rodin)
• 1979 – Portland Timbers – ~ $850,000 (Oregon Soccer Inc. to Louisiana-Pacific Corporation)
• 1979 – Toronto Metros-Croatia – $1.6 million (Pro Soccer, Ltd. to Global Sports Enterprises, Ltd.)
• 1980 – Memphis Rogues – $1.0 million* (Avron Fogelman to Nelson Skalbania)

*Skalbania paid a $100,000 down payment to Fogelman and never delivered the remaining $900,000 according to a former Skalbania exec.

Women’s United Soccer Association (2001-2003)

Original Franchises:

• Atlanta Beat – $5.0 million (Cox Enterprises)
• Bay Area CyberRays – $5.0 million (John Hendricks & Amos Hostetter)
• Boston Breakers – $5.0 million (Amos Hostetter)
• New York Power – $5.0 million (Time-Warner Cable)
• Philadelphia Charge – $5.0 million (Comcast Corp.)
• San Diego Spirit – $5.0 million (Cox Communications)
• Tampa-Orlando (relocated to Carolina Courage) – $5.0 million (Time-Warner Cable)
• Washington Freedom – $5.0 million (John Hendricks & Comcast Corp.)

Women’s Professional Soccer (2009-Present)

Original Franchise Fees:

• Boston Breakers – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond (Gary Loveman, et al.)
• Chicago Red Stars – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond
• Los Angeles Sol – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond (Anschutz Entertainment Group)
• Sky Blue FC – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond (Philip D. Murphy, Thomas Hofstetter, et al.)
• St. Louis Athletica – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond (Jeff Cooper)
• Washington Freedom – $470,000 + $250,000 performance bond (John & Maureen Hendricks)

Expansion Fees:

• 2009 – Atlanta Beat – $750,000 + $250,000 performance bond (T. Fitz Johnson)
• 2009 – Philadelphia Independence – $750,000 + $250,000 performance bond (David Halstead)
• 2010 – Western New York Flash – $750,000 + $250K league sponsorship + $250K bond (Joe Sahlen)

Sale of existing franchises:

• 2010 – Washington Freedom – $0 (John & Maureen Hendricks to Dan Borislow)

American Soccer League II & American Professional Soccer League (1988-1996)

Original franchises:

• 1987 – Boston Bolts – $10,000 (Alan Suvalle & Sid Mazzola)

Expansion franchises:

• 1989 – Salt Lake Sting – $25,000 (Jack Donovan, et al.)

USISL / United Soccer Leagues (1986-Present)

Sale of existing franchises:

• 2006 – Hampton Roads Mariners – $1 (Jerry McDonnell to Mike Sidebottom)

Major Indoor Soccer League (1978-1992)

Sales of existing franchises:

• 1981 – Hartford Hellions – ~ $500,000 (William Chipman to Ray Kuns and Dave Hannah)
• 1983 – New Jersey Rockets (defunct/bankrupt) – $500,000 (Meadowlands Soccer, Inc. to Donald Carter)
• 1983 – Phoenix Inferno (bankrupt) – $175,000 (Irv Berger et al. to Bruce Merrill)
• 1984 – Baltimore Blast – $2.9 million (Bernie Rodin to Nathan Scherr)
• 1989 – Baltimore Blast – $700,000 (Nathan Scherr to Edwin Hale)
• 1989 – Dallas Sidekicks (bankrupt) – $1.2 million (Stan Finney et al. to David Paschal)

American Indoor Soccer Association / National Professional Soccer League (1984-2001)

Expansion fees:

• 1995 – Philadelphia Kixx – $500,000 (Ed Tepper et al.)
• 2000 – Toronto Thunderhawks – $250,000 (Neil Jamieson et al.)

Continental Indoor Soccer League (1993-1997)

Expansion fees:

• 1993 – Washington Warthogs – $150,000 (Abe Pollin)
• 1996 – Indianapolis Twisters – $350,000 (David & Rodney Goins)

Eastern Indoor Soccer League (1997-1998)

Original Franchises: ($100K fee was payable over three years)

• Daytona Beach SpeedKings – $100,000 (Blake Cullen)

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