Caitlin Clark is part of the ownership group behind a bid to bring an NWSL expansion team to Cincinnati – a deal which could cost the group approaching $100 million.

“The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing a women’s professional soccer team to our city,” FC Cincinnati said in a statement, per ESPN.

“Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region, and influence as an athlete and role model for women and girls around the world, make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL.”

Clark has taken the WNBA by storm in her rookie season at Indiana Fever. The 22-year-old was a first-round, first-overall pick at the 2024 WNBA draft and lived up to expectations. She was named Rookie of the Year for setting league single-season and single-game records in assists, broke the rookie scoring record, and became the first rookie to achieve a triple-double, all while helping Fever reach the playoffs, before they were ousted by Connecticut Sun.

Clark’s impact on the league, and its subsequent explosion in popularity, has been dubbed ‘the Caitlin Clark effect,’ and she may be bringing that secret sauce to another sport, as Cincinnati is one of only a few finalists making a play for the NWSL expansion team.

Becoming the 16th NWSL team could come at quite a cost as ESPN estimates, based on the publication’s sources, “could approach $100 million” — almost double the $53 million that BOS Nation FC and Bay FC paid to enter the NWSL as the 14th and 15th expansion teams in 2023. Bay began play in NWSL this season. BOS Nation will take to the field in 2026.

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FC Cincinnati itself is a relatively new entrant to professional sports as the team was announced in 2015, and began play in MLS on March 2, 2019. FC Cincy’s best finish so far is third in the Eastern Conference in 2024, a season in which it reached the first round of the post-season.

The NWSL, meanwhile, was founded in 2012 with eight teams. The 16th team will see the league doubled in size in little more than a decade.

Portland Thorns FC has been the dominant force through the years, winning three championships to date. The NWSL final for the 2024 season takes place Saturday, November 23 as Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit compete for the championship at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.