Alexis Ohanian - husband to Serena Williams - has chosen to invest £20m into the Chelsea women's team having previously made huge sums in American side Angel City FC
Serena Williams's husband Alexis Ohanian has bought into Chelsea
Serena Williams's husband Alexis Ohanian has bought into Chelsea
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian has bought a stake in the Chelsea women's side - setting him back £20million. That has landed him between an 8-10 percent share in the Women's Super League champions.
Ohanian made his fortunes as the founder of Reddit and he will have a seat on the board as he continued to back women's sport, claiming the Blues are "the next global women's sports brand".
Ohanian has previously shown himself to have an eye for investment when it comes to women's sports - especially football. He was the largest shareholder in American club side Angel City FC until it was sold in 2024 for £192.3m - the highest price for a women's sports team until this deal was struck.
The 42-year-old announced news of his investment on Wednesday as he posted images of Chelsea kits with the names of his children, Olympia and Adira, on the backs and is confident the west Londoners are firmly on the up.
He said: "As Founding Control Owner of Angel City FC, I've seen the opportunity to create and grow a worldwide brand within women's football, and I'm confident Chelsea FC Women is the next global women's sports brand."
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Chelsea officials announced last year that the women's team would become a separate entity to the men's and sold it to themselves for around £200m to avoid a Premier League PSR charge. Todd Boehly's decision has clearly paid off with Ohanian believed to see the Blues' women's outfit as the biggest in Europe alongside Barcelona.
Ohanian, who also owns shares in the TGL Golf League, has an estimated net worth of $150m. The latest boardroom change for Chelsea comes after they appointed Mandhar as their first dedicated chief executive officer for the women's team. She said the "investment is validation of the club's past success but more importantly it is yet another proof point in the market of the persistent growth and potential of women's football."
Chelsea have continued to be the WSL's premier club
Chelsea have continued to be the WSL's premier club
Earlier this month, Chelsea won their sixth consecutive WSL title and became the first side to finish a 22-game campaign unbeaten as they set a new league record of 60 points. They will look to complete a domestic treble when they meet Manchester United in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday - a game Ohanian and Williams are expected to attend.
Chelsea recently reached the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League, but were knocked out by holders Barcelona 8-2 on aggregate.
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