Red Stars hire U.S. Soccer’s Leetzow as president

Client: Chicago Red Stars

Source: Sports Business Journal

The new owners of the NWSL Chicago Red Stars, led by Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, have hired U.S. Soccer Chief Legal Officer Karen Leetzow as the club’s new president. Leetzow, who will start in the new role on Dec. 4, oversaw the national governing body’s independent investigation into abuse and sexual misconduct in women’s soccer conducted by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. She also helped establish equal pay for the U.S. women’s national team via new collective bargaining agreements with both the women’s and men’s teams in 2022. Prior to her three-year stint at U.S. Soccer, Leetzow was the first woman to serve as NASCAR’s general counsel and was named an SBJ Game Changer in 2012. She is also the wife of Cubs General Counsel Brett Scharback.

Ricketts’ group purchased the Red Stars in a deal valuing the club at up to $35.5M, which would be the most ever paid for an existing NWSL club. One of Leetzow’s key tasks will be finding a long-term stadium solution for the club, whose lease at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., expires after the 2025 season. The stadium’s location southwest of Chicago has contributed to the club’s attendance woes, including a league-worst average of 4,848 fans in 2023, according to Soccer Stadium Digest.