“Hey, I don’t know if this is all I want to do,” Lauren Holiday told her husband, Jrue Holiday, questioning the biggest decision she was about to make. For someone who was a warrior on the pitch, with accolades like a World Cup and two Olympic gold medals—let alone having battled a life-threatening brain tumor discovered during her first pregnancy, it’s a fear many find unique. However, when ‘substantial‘ money is at stake in becoming an NWSL investor, followed by a string of unsuccessful deals, it’s only natural to have second thoughts.

But boy, did the former Kansas City star and her iconic NBA champion husband take a leap of faith. The duo have now become investors in the North Carolina Courage. Announced on Wednesday, the involvement of the Holiday Family Trust will see Lauren step into roles as an advisor and ambassador for the club, with additional responsibilities on the technical side as well.

“I want to be an impact everywhere that I go,” said the inaugural 2013 NWSL MVP, who also has the league’s community service award named in her honor, while speaking to ESPN. “So, yes, I’m an investor in North Carolina, but I think I have invaluable insight being as I was part of the league when it was in its inaugural season.”

Notably, North Carolina Courage majority owner Steve Malik highlighted that the “aligned values” with the Holidays were evident right from their very first conversation. While he refrained from disclosing the exact ownership percentage held by the power couple, Malik did describe their investment as “substantial,” noting it ranks among the top five within the team’s pool of roughly two dozen investors.

Additionally, Lauren and Jrue’s investment is exclusively tied to the Courage and does not involve the city’s men’s team, North Carolina FC. Through this deal, they’ve also become part of Marc Lasry’s Avenue Capital Group — the same firm that previously held investment talks with Angel City FC, the Portland Thorns, and Seattle Reign, and even came close to acquiring majority control of the Courage late last year.

Lauren has since divested from her involvement with Angel City. However, despite advancing to the final stages, the Avenue Capital deal ultimately fell through. Interestingly, Malik told ESPN that while there wasn’t any specific reason, the Avenue Group negotiations didn’t materialize. He did, however, acknowledge the mutual respect between both parties that grew during the process.

At the same time, the league’s ongoing “dynamic scenario” with private equity regulations created a roadblock. “We just weren’t able to get to a place that was going to satisfy those requirements,” Malik explained. But talk about being ambitious; while simultaneously negotiating a chunk of the piece with the Holidays, the majority Courage owner also kept their ongoing NWSL expansion discussion in the loop.

A valuation of $108 million at that time eventually saw Holiday’s interest grow. Either way, it is quite an achievement for both Lauren and her significant other to be taking part in the growth of the NWSL club. Speaking of which, the Indiana native will be looking to solve the existing problems as well!

Lauren Holiday will be ‘more heavily involved’ with NC Courage

When asked what drew her or made her decision easier to join Courage as an investor, she responded by patting the backs of the club. “They have built a club that’s very close-knit. There’s a culture there that the girls really like each other. I know they’ve been through hard times, but I feel like they’ve come out on the other side in a really beautiful way.”

That explains why the 2023 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award recipient has already outlined the immediate tasks requiring her attention. First, Lauren will assist Steve Malik and his team in the search for a new chief soccer officer—who, moving forward, will report directly to the former USWNT midfielder.

Another major task while joining the NWSL is also catering to their ongoing facility challenges. To recall, their home stadium, WakeMed Soccer Park, is not the largest but rather the smallest venue in the NWSL. It’s below the league’s average attendance capacity makes it urgent for the Courage to find “more ambitious” solutions.

And guess who’s going to be involved in that process? Yep, it’s Holiday. In fact, the 2014 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year jokingly admitted that she’s come a long way since the days she had to Google P&L (profit and loss) statements during her early conversations with Lasry years ago.“For me, this is just the beginning,” Holiday said to ESPN. “I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t have my hopes, and my eyes, set on being more heavily involved in the future and having a voice at a league level.”

Well, it’s not just that—a ‘super passionate’ drive to contribute to the growth of women’s sports excites Lauren just as much. And boy, does it feel good for her to not only hold ownership in the very league she played in during its first three years, but also in a league she “believes in so much.”

What are your thoughts on the latest ownership move of Lauren and Jrue Holiday? Sound off in the comments.