Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian says Chelsea Women could be worth $1bn
Reddit co-founder and Chelsea Women investor Alexis Ohanian has said interest from the United States could turn the London club into a billion-dollar business.
Ohanian, who is married to tennis legend Serena Williams, purchased a stake in Chelsea Women in May, believed to be around 10 per cent at a £20m valuation.
The investment valued the Women’s Super League winners at £200m, more than the £192.3m sale price for Ohanian’s former club Angel City FC of the US in 2024.
“They should be the first women’s football team to be worth a billion dollars,” the investor said of Sonia Bompastor’s team.
“I think [US interest] is not the only factor, but it’s a huge factor. And what I would like to point to is the number of Premier League teams that are easily worth billions of dollars that have tremendous American fanbases and global fanbases.
“That is a population of 300-plus million people who are obsessed with sports and spend a lot of money, right?
“So that is a valuable, valuable market for athletes. So whether that’s Chelsea Women, yes, I absolutely want every American to have that one team in the WSL they cheer for, and I want it to be us.”
Ohanian investment
Chelsea won their opening match of this year’s Women’s Super League as they began their quest for a seventh straight domestic title and the elusive quadruple – with trophies in the Cup, FA Cup and Champions League.
They head to Aston Villa this weekend to take on another side which has sold some of its club not only to overseas investors but to itself.
The move has been seen as a way to help balance revenue and outgoings, allowing clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa to comply with profit and sustainability rules which govern men’s Premier League clubs.