Chelsea Women owner Alexis Ohanian teases undisclosed plan to set new standard for women's football

Chelsea Women owner Alexis Ohanian has revealed the club has a significant development in the pipeline, describing it as something that will be “an important one that needs to happen” not just for English women’s football but for the women’s game globally.

Speaking at the Leaders Week London conference at Stamford Bridge, Ohanian — who invested a reported £20 million in Chelsea Women in May 2025 — declined to name the initiative but confirmed it is already being worked on. “There’s one that I’m not allowed to talk about yet,” he said, adding that a board meeting is imminent and could produce an announcement.

The American entrepreneur, who co-founded Reddit and also holds an investment in NWSL club Angel City FC, said the development would be shaped by direct input from the players. “The way you do that is by listening to the players,” he explained. “We’ve got a board meeting coming up, so hopefully there’ll be some news coming out of it.”

When pressed for a further hint, Ohanian framed the move as part of Chelsea’s broader ambition to lead the sport. “Chelsea has always wanted to set a standard. That’s what I love about coming into a club like this,” he said. “And this will be yet another one that I think, not just for English women’s football, but for women’s football, will be an important one that needs to happen. That I know the players will be happy about.”

The comments follow Chelsea Women’s move to Stamford Bridge for their home league matches this season — itself a direct response to player requests. “When I spoke to the players early into coming over, the number one thing they were asking for was to play at the Bridge,” Ohanian said. “So the team got that done here this season, which has been awesome to see, and we’ve just got to keep building.”

Ohanian, who is married to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, also pointed to matchday audience growth as a priority, drawing on his experience at Angel City. The NWSL club averaged around 21,000 spectators in a 22,000-capacity stadium during their first season, a figure he cited as evidence that women’s sport attracts a distinct fanbase. “People expected women’s sports fans to be the same people as men’s sports fans, and they’re just not,” he said. “It’s a totally different audience.”