Chelsea will be billion-dollar franchise
"Queens of global soccer" Chelsea will become a "billion-dollar franchise", according to new co-owner Alexis Ohanian.The Reddit founder has bought an 8-10% stake believed to be worth about £20m in the domestic treble winners - an investment Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor called a "game-changing endorsement".Ohanian, who is married to former tennis player Serena Williams, is no stranger to investing in women's football, having previously been the largest shareholder in American side Angel City FC until it was sold for £192.3m in 2024. He has also founded a women-only athletics event named Athlos.The American hopes his involvement will help the Blues become "America's team" and put them at the "forefront of women's sport"."Chelsea is very unique. These are the queens of global soccer, and they've got the trophy case to prove it. This is a very special club," Ohanian told BBC Sport.The 42-year-old was present at Wembley, alongside his wife, for the Women's FA Cup final against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 3-0 to complete the domestic treble without losing a match.However, while they have been dominant domestically, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals this season, beaten 8-2 on aggregate by holders Barcelona."The sky is the limit," continued Ohanian. "You heard our president say this club is unapologetically ambitious - I want to get that tattooed on me. "That is what we're trying to build here - the best team in the world and at the forefront of women's sport."This will be a billion-dollar franchise one day. I hope my dollars, my pounds, can go towards that and especially back home in America. This is going to be America's team."
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