In six weeks of a complicated spring 2023, OL women had both experienced a (rare) exit from the road in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, before seeing its historic builder Jean-Michel Aulas being ousted by John Textor. A brutal double blow capable of putting an end to the Lyon dynasty, marked by eight European Cups won since 2011? A year later, OL’s return to the final of this C1, this Saturday (6 p.m.) in Bilbao against FC Barcelona, has in fact removed all doubts.
Champion of France for the 17th time last week (2-1 against PSG) despite a play-off format not doing its business, Wendie Renard’s gang is more ambitious than ever. To what extent is this umpteenth golden period of OL women linked to its new boss Michele Kang? Officially the owner of the women’s section of the club since February 8, the 64-year-old American businesswoman was in fact already at the head of the Lyon project since May 16, 2023, when John Textor’s OL Groupe formalized the change of flag.
A staff expanded from 18 to 26 people in one year
Also owner since 2022 of the US franchise of the Washington Spirit and now of the London City Lionesses (English D2), she is aiming for “a multi-club structure” (well, well), and she was quickly able to reassure the Lyon players about the evolution of their club. “She arrived in the continuity of President Aulas, with very great ambitions,” confides French international Amel Majri. She sets the bar very high for the development of women’s football. » Concretely, Michele Kang wanted to “expand the staff” around the women’s team. OL has gone from 18 people at the end of last season to 26 full-time today, with Vincent Ponsot, former right-hand man of JMA, as general manager.
All with several foreign profiles installed like the English Jack Sharkey, appointed director of performance and innovation, new key center at OL with 13 people. Among the new features, Sonia Bompastor’s players now have a full-time nutritionist-dietician, while the previous one worked for both the men’s and women’s sections of the club. A head of athletic trainers has also arrived, and nothing is left to chance with the players, including off the field.
“We wanted to copy the boys”
” We have a connected ring to measure our sleep, says Selma Bacha. There are possible adjustments now: Jack Sharkey decides if we are too tired or not, and we see that there haven’t been too many muscle injuries this season. » Sonia Bompastor even assured last month in Progress : “I am convinced that we would have had a much higher injury rate without this organization.” The Michele Kang method pleases Lyon, in particular because it shakes up the standards of women’s football in France, as Eugénie Le Sommer notes.
“ Beyond new skills in the staff, she brought a new vision of women’s sport, appreciated by the OL and Les Bleues striker. She is very keen to train the girls with their specificities. This is only the beginning and everything is not yet perceptible, but she is carrying out research in this area. She made me question and open up about something, and she’s right: we train like we’re boys and no one has ever questioned whether that’s a good thing . We wanted to copy boys even though there are things that are specific to women. »
Present on average one week per month in Lyon, and on all trips to the Champions League, the founder of the medical technology company Cognosante is tackling a tough double file at the same time. She wants a training center to be dedicated to her team, which is not possible at the Groupama OL Training Center in Décines shared with the men.
Michele Kang also wants a new stadium. Because OL women have no intermediate possibility between the low capacity of the training center pitch (1,500 seats and a single stand) and the immense OL Park and its 59,000 seats. Discussions are being held in this direction with the City of Lyon, the Metropolis as well as land owners. The main prospect is the Gerland stadium, where LOU Rugby has been playing for seven years.
“The hunger to win is transmitted without speaking”
“I would like to see what it will look like in the coming years,” explains Amel Majri. Michele Kang wants a stadium with 20,000 or 30,000 spectators, and that’s what we’re missing in women’s football. She bangs her fist when she wants something, she’s the boss and we are happy and serene to walk behind her. She is doing everything to allow women’s football to grow, to explode in France, with ideas on the scale of England or Spain. And we see that players want to come to Lyon. »
Likewise, Ada Hegerberg extended her contract with OL until 2027 a month ago. “Michele Kang is not there on a daily basis but she is aware of everything that is happening at the club,” summarizes Eugénie Le Sommer. She cares a lot about the players, she tries to put everything in place so that we are in the best conditions, even beyond the field, to be as efficient as possible. »
OUR FILE ON OL FEMININ
The final validation of this year one of the Michele Kang era could take place this Saturday in San Mamés. With as a key asset, to challenge a defending champion Barça, this culture of winning which is not new. “When you sign for OL, you come to take all the trophies you can, it’s just the hunger to win,” insists Selma Bacha. We pass this on without needing to talk about it, just in the quality of our training. » A DNA which does not displease the new owner of the club.