Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach, invests in women’s soccer: Aurora FC seeks the NWSL

Cheryl Reeve and Carley Knox Invest in Minnesota Aurora FC

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and president of business operations Carley Knox are joining as investors in Minnesota Aurora FC, an amateur women’s soccer team with the goal of entering the NWSL.

Our partnership was an obvious decision to drive this path towards professional football. The Twin Cities will be an incredible market.

Cheryl Reeve

Currently, the Lynx are in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs, seeking their fifth title. They lead the Phoenix Mercury 1-0 in the five-game series. The Minnesota Aurora FC stands out as a success in American soccer, with 5,337 investors through its community ownership model. Since its launch in 2022, it has had immediate commercial success, with attendance close to the maximum capacity in its 6,000-seat stadium, surpassing the average of some NWSL teams.

The group that owns Aurora competed for an NWSL expansion spot in 2026, which was ultimately awarded to Denver. Minnesota withdrew from the competition due to financial complications, amid rising NWSL valuations. Denver paid an expansion fee of $110 million. Reeve and Knox seek to propel Aurora into the NWSL. A team spokesperson revealed the incorporation of private investors, including Reeve and Knox, to help achieve this goal. The team did not disclose the total amount or the percentage of the investment.

For us, the number 1 goal is to get an NWSL team. We want to get fully involved and really help grow this to get an NWSL team, because it will be an incredible market. There will be incredible support, and the community will definitely back them in a way that we haven’t seen before.

Carley Knox

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed that the league will accept expansion teams on an ongoing basis through private conversations. Reeve and Knox, along with their son, have witnessed the impact of the Aurora as season ticket holders since the team’s first season in the USL W League in 2022. Reeve highlighted the energy of the Aurora fans, which is transmitted in the stadium. Knox, with a background in college football, remembers his passion for the sport. Reeve and Knox, know success in professional sports. Reeve is a three-time Olympic gold medalist coach, in addition to the six WNBA titles they have won in different roles. Knox noted that the success of the Aurora has been achieved despite being a team of out-of-season college players. He envisions a team that will thrive at a professional level.

I see the vision of the future, and we are fully committed.

Carley Knox