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How an ownership change helped Orlando Pride win a championship: Suite Level with Mark Wilf
The journey from anxious father on the sidelines to triumphant owner holding a championship trophy is a narrative that resonates with the very soul of sports, and for Orlando Pride chairman Mark Wilf, it’s a story written in the sweat of athletes and the roar of a believing community. Years ago, a knot of paternal tension tightened in his stomach as his daughter, a middle school goalkeeper, faced down penalty kicks; that same visceral feeling returned, transmuted into pure jubilation, when the Pride clinched the 2024 NWSL Championship with a decisive goal from Barbra Banda.This victory was not a sudden miracle but the culmination of a deliberate, soulful rebuild that began the moment the Wilf family assumed ownership in 2021. Stepping into the organization, Wilf encountered a franchise whose facilities and foundational culture did not match its latent potential, a stark contrast to the professionalized environment he helped cultivate with the Minnesota Vikings.His immediate mandate was a profound investment in the players' environment—transforming locker rooms and training grounds into first-class sanctuaries that signaled a long-term commitment. This physical transformation was paralleled by a cultural one, spearheaded by the indomitable spirit of Marta, who, even while rehabilitating a serious ACL injury, embodied resilience and leadership, setting a standard that would become the team's bedrock.The pivotal 2022 season, marred by coaching turmoil that saw Amanda Cromwell dismissed and the untested Seb Hines thrust into the interim role, could have been a breaking point. Instead, it became a crucible.The subsequent promotion of Hines to head coach and the strategic hiring of Haley Carter as general manager were masterstrokes, decisions that wove together tactical acumen and astute personnel management. Carter, now the club’s vice president of soccer operations, overhauled the roster with precision, while Hines meticulously honed a 4-3-2-1 formation that maximized the squad's strengths.The 2024 campaign was their magnum opus, a storybook season defined by record-breaking ambition. The signing of Barbra Banda for a monumental $740,000 transfer fee was a declaration of intent, a belief that to build a champion, you must first invest in transcendent talent.The result was a historic double: the NWSL Shield and the Championship trophy, a feat achieved through a perfect alchemy of strategic vision and human spirit. As Wilf himself reflects on the tense final minutes of the championship match, he describes it as a 'crescendo,' a peak emotional experience born from years of foundational work.The victory was not merely about silverware; it shattered league records for points, wins, and clean sheets, and more importantly, it forged an unbreakable bond with the community, evidenced by a staggering surge in season ticket memberships and a club valuation soaring to $92 million. Off the field, Wilf’s influence extends to the NWSL’s executive committee, where he advocates tirelessly for the league's professionalization, pushing for superior media deals and smarter governance that have propelled league-wide sponsorship revenue to $75 million.For Wilf, the parallel between the established might of the NFL and the burgeoning excitement of the NWSL is clear: one is a premier institution, the other a ground-level movement ripe with potential, and he is proud to be a foundational architect in its ascent. As the Pride brace for another nerve-shredding semifinal, the cycle of tension and hope begins anew, a testament to the enduring human drama that unfolds when a community invests not just in winning, but in building something with real soul.
#Orlando Pride
#NWSL
#Mark Wilf
#Barbra Banda
#team ownership
#featured
