Martina Navratilova, a legendary name etched into tennis history, is charting new territory in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a minority owner of Carolina Ascent FC—a professional women’s soccer team competing at the highest level of the sport in the United States. Her presence in the Queen City over the weekend of September 27-28, 2025, marked more than just a symbolic gesture; it was a hands-on demonstration of her commitment to empowering women and fostering community connections both on and off the field.
Navratilova’s journey to part-ownership of Carolina Ascent FC is as unique as her storied athletic career. At 68, she’s never served on a corporate board and, surprisingly, this marks her very first investment in a sports team. “That was a friend that I’ve known who’s in the business, sports business, an agent. I’ve known him for 40-plus years, and he got in touch with my agent Mary (Greenham) and said, ‘How about this for Martina? I have this idea for part ownership of a women’s team.’ And the more I thought about it, first I’m like, ‘I never thought about it and this sounds like fun.’ And then we had a big Zoom with people that are involved in the team here. And then I realized the impact that they want to have on the community. It’s not about kicking the ball, winning. It’s about this whole mentality and attitude that you bring to bring people together and support the team, support the community and then give back to the community. And I think they’re doing it with flying colors,” Navratilova told The Observer.
Her visit coincided with the Ascent’s home match against Sporting Jax on Sunday, September 28, a thrilling contest that ended in a narrow 4-3 defeat for the locals. But the scoreline hardly dampened the sense of occasion. Navratilova’s presence in Charlotte was about much more than the result on the pitch; it was about connection, mentorship, and a shared mission to elevate women’s sports and the broader community.
Alongside team players and majority owner Dan DiMicco—a former Nucor CEO and prominent figure in business and politics—Navratilova rolled up her sleeves at the new headquarters of Dress for Success Charlotte. This nonprofit, best known for providing professional attire to unemployed or underemployed women, is rapidly expanding its career coaching and counseling services. Navratilova, dressed in a Carolina Ascent FC T-shirt and blue jeans, meticulously taped baseboards and joined in the painting efforts. “Just whatever it takes,” she explained, reflecting her lifelong ethos of hard work and attention to detail. “I come from a fill-it household. Whatever it takes to get the job done. That’s what I do. And I’ve done a little bit of painting, so I kind of knew the sequence.”
It’s a partnership that goes beyond financial contributions. The Ascent and Dress for Success have formalized a five-year agreement, which includes financial support for the nonprofit’s capital campaign, player and ownership engagement in the organization’s mission, and community-driven matchday activations. The new office will soon house a Carolina Ascent FC Coaching Corner, featuring dedicated rooms and a lounge for one-on-one job coaching—Dress for Success’s fastest-growing service in the past two years. “It’s not just about soccer, it’s about impacting the community. The exponential effect this team will have on this town and particularly women and girls, you can’t buy that,” Navratilova said during her visit.
For Navratilova, empowering women is a lifelong calling. She’s spoken candidly about her own challenges breaking into the business world, noting that “as a gay woman, the sponsorships weren’t there. And even to this day, when it comes to getting on boards of companies, everyone wants a freebie. The charities love me. There’s a proven track record where professional athletes are really good at business, because all of the lessons we learned to succeed in sports apply to real life. Of course, they apply to business as well.” She laments the lack of commercial opportunities for women athletes, observing, “We’re an afterthought. I know I could contribute because I have such a vast wealth of experience.”
Her investment in Carolina Ascent FC is deeply personal, driven by the desire to share her championship mentality with aspiring female athletes. “To be a champion in one sport takes the same mentality to be a champion in another. And that mentality translates into everyday life. And I can certainly contribute to them with my knowledge, where I had to figure things out for myself. They don’t have to do that. They can make their own mistakes, but no need to repeat the mistakes I made if I can help them avoid that. They’ll make some others, but it’ll help them get to where they want to go a little bit quicker, which is always good,” she explained.
Navratilova’s approach is refreshingly down-to-earth. “I take out the garbage every Wednesday and Saturday. Wednesday is both and Saturday is just the main garbage. The recycling is only on Wednesday. So you just get the job done. Change the water for the dogs, change the diaper for the kid. So whatever needs to be done, I do. I don’t make a fuss one way or the other. And I would never ask anybody to do something that I’m not willing to do myself.”
The team’s ownership group is a diverse one. DiMicco, a staunch conservative and former trade adviser to Donald Trump, is joined by Navratilova, an outspoken LGBTQ rights advocate who’s also voiced her opposition to transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports. Other owners include Jim and Kelly McPhilliamy and the Empower HER Fund, supported by local female investors. Despite their differences, the group is united by a shared vision: growing the women’s game, elevating the Charlotte community, and creating a more sustainable future for area residents.
Navratilova’s roots in Charlotte run deeper than many realize. Her very first visit to North Carolina dates back to 1973, when she played in a U.S. Tennis Association tournament and stayed with a local family, learning to drive a Chevrolet Nova and navigating the local Southern accent. Now, she marvels at how the city has grown. “It’s just the difference it’s like, are you kidding? Are we still in Charlotte? Are we in Kansas? It’s amazing, the growth and you see the energy. But it’s also … you still feel the pace is normal. It’s not frenetic and everybody’s so nice… It’s just a healthy environment here, it seems. There’s a lot of parks for kids, people are active, running, riding their bikes. It’s just a nice pace of life here.”
Her commitment to Carolina Ascent FC extends beyond the boardroom and the paintbrush. Navratilova has pledged to make herself available to players as a mentor and resource, offering guidance drawn from decades at the pinnacle of international sport. “I will make myself available to them if they want to call me or text me or email, whatever. If they have any ideas or questions or doubts, where I can help is what I will do. Give them that time and that knowledge, because there is nothing like sharing it with the future generation.”
Looking ahead, Navratilova is eager to see the long-term impact of her involvement. “I’m just happy to see what will be happening. I hope this is a long-term relationship because I want to see the difference that this team makes in this town. I’m looking forward to meeting somebody 10 years from now and they say, ‘Well, I went to a game and then I thought, well maybe I can be an architect.’ That’s what I want to hear 10 years from now, where girls had to imagine it and now they don’t have to imagine it. They can see it. And it’s much easier to be something when you can see it than when you don’t.”
As the Ascent continue their campaign in the Gainbridge Super League, Navratilova’s influence is already being felt in Charlotte. Whether on the field, in the community, or through the fresh paint on Dress for Success’s new offices, her championship mentality is helping to inspire a new generation of women and girls to dream bigger—and to turn those dreams into reality. The action on the pitch may ebb and flow, but the impact of Navratilova’s investment and mentorship is just beginning to take hold in the Queen City.
