Move over, Ryan Reynolds: Canadian soccer whistleblower now co-owner, CEO of Irish football club

It's a real-life story with shades of Ted Lasso and a plot line torn straight from Welcome to Wrexham, minus the hefty star power of Ryan Reynolds. 

That's not to say Vancouver native Ciara McCormack, new owner and CEO of Irish football club Treaty United, isn't famous.

McCormack was thrust into the spotlight four years ago for blowing the whistle on former Canadian National Team and Vancouver Whitecaps women's soccer coach Bob Birarda, who was last year sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to sexual abuse involving players.

McCormack's purchase of the Limerick-based club was done in partnership with Tricor Pacific Capital, a Vancouver investment firm.

The deal was announced last week and makes her the first female co-owner and CEO of a men's and women's club in the League of Ireland.

Watch | Ciara McCormack and Chuck Cosman talk about Ted Lasso/Welcome to Wrexham comparisons:

"The motivation is to really make this something special with Treaty, and hopefully show people that a woman in charge is possible," said McCormack. "When sport and soccer is done right, it's positive, impactful and life-changing."

Buying a sports team, let alone one in Ireland, was never a goal of Tricor Pacific, according to company principal Chuck Cosman.

But when McCormack brought forward the idea — "selling them on the dream of Irish football," as she put it — they were intrigued.

"If you look on our website there's nothing that says we're investing in sports businesses. This was just an opportunity that presented itself," said Cosman, Tricor's new representative on the Treaty United board of directors.

"After talking with the league and with Ciara and advisors in our network that have done these types of things before, it just seemed