Cannae Holdings CEO confirms 100% commitment to investing in Exeter Chiefs women's rugby

Cannae Holdings CEO Ryan Caswell has pledged full investment in Exeter Chiefs’ women’s rugby programme, outlining the new ownership group’s ambitions for Sandy Park in a statement posted on the club’s official website.

Caswell pointed to Cannae’s stewardship of AFC Bournemouth — who achieved their highest-ever Premier League finish under the group’s ownership, while their women’s team earned back-to-back promotions to the Women’s National League Southern Premier Division — as a blueprint for what the new owners intend to replicate at Exeter.

“We think women’s sports are a huge opportunity,” Caswell said. “I think women’s rugby is a significant opportunity. There are many great players here and we 100 per cent want to invest in the women’s game in addition to the men’s game. I think it’s a really exciting time for women’s rugby.”

The commitment comes at a transitional moment for Exeter’s Premiership Women’s Rugby side. The team finished third in the PWR last season before falling to Saracens at the play-off stage, and they are currently without a head coach following the departure of Steve Salvin, who has joined Sean Lynn’s Wales setup full-time as forwards coach. Former Leicester Tigers head coach Ross Bundy has since been appointed as an assistant coach at the club.

Caswell also set out the broader commercial case for Cannae’s move into rugby, referencing the group’s other major sporting asset, the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, as further evidence of their ability to build winning franchises.

“We have ambition. We have a track record of success with Bournemouth and Bill Foley’s Vegas Golden Knights,” he said. “We want to be very respectful of rugby’s history and its community while at the same time trying to find ways where we can add value and achieve the ambition of the club. We think there is upside in the US and globally. There’s a great fan base around rugby which is exciting to us.”

On the men’s side, Exeter enjoyed a significant resurgence last season, finishing as Gallagher Premiership runners-up — a result that underlines the competitive platform the new owners are inheriting.