NWSL's Portland Thorns add investors, including Columbia Sportswear's Tim Boyle

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle and Phoenix Suns co-owner Sam Garvin have joined the ownership group for the Portland Thorns.

Additional investors announced by the National Women's Soccer League team on Thursday include TPG Capital co-managing partner Nehal Raj, Revitate partner and chief operating officer Kunal Merchant and former NBA player Josh Childress, CEO of Landspire Group.

The Bhathal family, who are investors in the NBA's Sacramento Kings, acquired the Portland Thorns this year. Lisa Bhathal Merage and brother Alex Bhathal are co-founders and partners in Revitate, a Southern California firm that specializes in sports, real estate and consumer brand investments.

Merchant, head of Revitate's sports activities, advised the Bhathals on the purchase of the Thorns and assembled the investor group.

Among the ownership group's plans for the team is a new training facility. The team now practices at its home stadium, Providence Park, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers. The Thorns were previously owned by Merritt Paulson, who owns the Timbers.

“Investor interest in the Thorns is off the charts,” Merchant said in a prepared statement. “We are gratified and inspired to see so much belief in the future of the Thorns and in women’s sports more broadly.”

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