Chelsea Women have secured a significant investment from Alexis Ohanian, the American tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder, who has acquired a 10 percent stake in the club valued at approximately £20 million.
This investment elevates Chelsea Women to the status of the most "valuable club " in women's football, with an estimated worth of £200 million, and positions Ohanian as a new board member, alongside his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams, who is also expected to play a role.
Ohanian announced the investment on social media, expressing his commitment to women's sports and his ambition to make Chelsea a beloved team in the Barclays WSL.
He and Williams are anticipated to attend the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, where Chelsea will compete against Manchester United in their quest for a domestic treble, having already clinched the League Cup and a sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title.
This deal underscores Ohanian's expanding involvement in women's sports, following his previous role as a majority shareholder in Angel City FC, which became the world's most expensive women's football team, and his founding of Athlos NYC, a women-only track and field event aimed at promoting gender equality in athletics.
Chelsea Women were sold to a sister company for £200 million to comply with football's Profit and Sustainability Rules, and while the Premier League has yet to validate this valuation, Ohanian's prominent investment is likely to bolster Chelsea's standing in the sport.
In a significant move for the club's evolution, Chelsea has appointed Aki Mandhar as their inaugural chief executive officer, aligning with a comprehensive repositioning strategy.
Although average attendances in the Women's Super League have dropped by 9 percent this year, Chelsea and their new investors are optimistic about the women's game, anticipating that this summer's European Championships will spark a resurgence of interest.