Lola Ogunbote joins Chelsea FC Women as Head of Football Operations & Player Services

Nigerian-born Lola Ogunbote joins Chelsea Women as Head of Football Operations

Nigerian-born football administrator Lola Ogunbote has joined Chelsea Women as the club’s new Head of Football Operations and Player Services following an almost five-year spell with Burnley.

The appointment, highlighted in a social media post by Pulse Nigeria on Wednesday, comes after Ogunbote had already spent about three months working behind the scenes at Chelsea.

According to TVC News, Ogunbote has been involved in organising Chelsea Women’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, staging Women’s Super League home fixtures at Stamford Bridge and Champions League games at AFC Wimbledon.

Announcing her new role, Ogunbote said she was “thrilled” to have joined Chelsea and described her first three months at the club as a “whirlwind start.” She said she was proud to serve the club, its players and staff.

Ogunbote joined Burnley in 2021 as the club’s first Head of Women’s Football. During her tenure, she helped oversee the transition of Burnley Women from a part-time set-up into a full-time professional operation. Burnley Football Club said the transformation took place under her leadership.

Her spell culminated in Burnley winning the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division and securing promotion. Ogunbote later said completing the club’s five-year promotion strategy had become a reality.

The move marks another major step in the football administration career of the Nigerian-born Briton, who previously trained and worked as a lawyer before moving into football.