Amanda Staveley has revealed she had to convince the Newcastle United board that the women's team was the 'right investment case'.
It was not so long ago that the women's team operated independently of [Newcastle](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/newcastle-united-fc) in the [Ashley](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/mike-ashley) era, and relied on the support of the foundation, but Becky Langley's team were officially brought under the club's ownership for the first time in history in August, 2022. Newcastle Women have since achieved back-to-back promotions and set a number of attendance records along the way.
Staveley and partner Mehrdad Ghodoussi have obviously moved on, after selling their minority stake in the club last summer, but the growth of the women's team remains a source of immense pride for the pair as Newcastle battle to get into the WSL.
"We had an established men's team and we didn't have a women's team," Staveley told Bloomberg's women, money and power event. "They were paying to play, there was no infrastructure, they had to go and play at eight or nine o'clock at night. There were no professional contracts.
"We had to convince our board that it was the right investment case. We had to convince our broadcast partners. If we want to move women's sport forward, we must never forget that we are always on show. To see the joy of having my women's team promoted twice successfully, the commitment they have put into that and running the team is just extraordinary."
Although Staveley has left the club, Langley previously hailed sporting director Paul Mitchell as a 'fantastic' support. Mitchell has spoken about the club's aim to be 'best in class' across the board and that includes the women's team.