Cliff Notes – Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor hails Ohanian investment ‘Game-changing’
- Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s £20 million investment for a 10% stake in Chelsea Women is seen as transformative for the club and the women’s game in England, according to manager Sonia Bompastor.
- Chelsea Women, who recently secured their sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title, aim to leverage this investment to enhance their competitiveness, particularly in pursuit of a Champions League trophy.
- Bompastor emphasised the importance of increased investment in women’s football, hoping it will inspire further financial backing across the league and elevate the profile of English football.
Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor hails Ohanian investment: ‘Game-changing’
The investment in Chelsea Women by Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis great Serena Williams will be “game-changing,” manager Sonia Bompastor said on Thursday.
The American businessman purchased a 10% stake in the women’s team, believed to be around £20 million (($26.52m), in line with the club’s £200m valuation, which was the worth placed on the club when Chelsea FC Holdings sold the team to its sister company in April.
Ohanian, 42, has invested in women’s football previously when he became the largest shareholder in NWSL side Angel City FC in 2024.
“I think it’s a really exciting moment for the club, for the women’s team, for the women’s English game. To have this opportunity to have Alexis invest in the women’s team is great. I’m really happy with this news and really excited about this,” Bompastor told a news conference on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup final at Wembley against Manchester United.
When asked why she believes Ohanian chose Chelsea, Bompastor said: “We are the best. Simple!
“Results help a lot. When you have a successful team but also the values. When I told you when I joined this club I felt in the beginning I was in the right place in terms of feeling the support from the ownerships and the people working around this women’s team but also the values.”
The west London side went undefeated in the Women’s Super League (WSL) this season to win their sixth-successive league title. Despite their unprecedented success, Bompastor remains eager for more.
“It’s really important for the women’s game but also for England to have someone to invest in a team like Chelsea. It just shows we are in a really great place at the moment but we still want to be an even better team and better club and we want to be one of the best teams in the world in terms of results on the pitch but also we want to be a model outside the pitch,” she said.
“I hope we will be able to [stay ahead of the competition] because we want to be the leaders, we want to be the team who shows to every other team how you need to perform and how you need to invest in the women’s game.”
Sonia Bompastor could end her first season at Chelsea with a domestic treble
She said she hopes the investment will help in their pursuit of a first Champions League trophy. European glory eluded Chelsea during former manager Emma Hayes’ 12-year tenure and despite winning the competition as a player and a manager with Lyon, Bompastor was unable to reach the final this season.
Chelsea fell to an 8-2 aggregate drubbing by Barcelona in the semifinal, their third consecutive exit at this stage to the Spanish giants.
“Hopefully next year we will be in an even better position. Having this exciting news and great investment in the women’s team will help for sure,” she said.
Chelsea spent over £1.5m during the January transfer window
Chelsea spent over £1.5m during the January transfer window. They signed Naomi Girma, the first $1m player in the women’s game, and England international Keira Walsh. During the 2024 January transfer window, they also broke the then world record fee to sign Colombian striker Mayra Ramírez.
But there will be more competition in the Women’s Super League (WSL) next season with Lyon and Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang’s English team, London City Lionesses, entering the top flight. Kang spent heavily to earn promotion and it is understood she will continue to invest to solidify their place in the WSL.
“Hopefully [Ohanian’s investement] will bring some other people to invest in women’s teams in this league,” Bompastor said. “I think that’s the example we need to set for ourselves but also to show to the other teams what they need to do. That’s really good for us to be in that position, I want us to stay in that position for a long time.”
While some have criticised Chelsea’s spending, the manager believes that the increased investment, allowing for heightened spending is “really positive” for the game. She added that it shows English football is in a “really good place” and raises the profile of English football higher.
The 44-year-old manager admitted she hopes that she will meet Ohanian and Williams at Sunday’s cup final after a “really positive result.”
“The game [FA Cup final] is something we want to stay focused on, that’s really important. But that’s probably an extra motivation going into the game on Sunday because we want to go into the game showing pride but with this exciting news.
“You want to be responsible for the result you get on Sunday and show our best version.”