Putting our Mouth where Someone Else's Money is: Lyon Women and valuing Chelsea Women (with Christina Philippou)
In this episode, Val, Dave and Steve bring back football finance expert Christina Philippou for a case study, where the team discusses a valuation model for Chelsea Women built by Steve and powered by the terms of the sale of Lyon Féminin to Michele Kang in 2023. The group uses the model to dive into questions such as: What did Kang pay for Lyon and how was the purchase price structured? What does Lyon's revenue look like? What would make Chelsea more or less valuable than Lyon beyond just revenue? And most importantly, should that deal be a template for other investors to follow, in bringing greater investment to the women's game? With Christina's assistance, we go into the weeds on the numbers and come out the other side with a valuation range for Chelsea Women and a greater understanding of how investment in women's teams in Europe may be evolving.But before we get to the high finance, Val confesses to a certain merchandise purchase and the team talks about the prospects of the new World Sevens competition and whether, with just a little over a month to go before kick off, the inaugural edition will feature big name players and attract large numbers of travelling fans to Portugal.Listeners can poke through our valuation model on Google Sheets, at this link: https://tinyurl.com/cwfcmodel
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57:38
Never Really About the Money (Featuring former England International, Natasha Dowie)
In this episode, we chat with former England international, Natasha Dowie, about her professionalisation journey and what the money and off-pitch support looked like across her long and storied senior career (2004 and 2023), and touch upon the growing importance of social media and player brand building in the women’s game. Val, Steve and Dave also discuss the fallout from the proposal to temporarily pause relegation in the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, provide a roundup of recent NWSL business stories and talk NWSL ambition rankings (https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/44170235/nwsl-ambition-rankings-2025-no-1). To support Tash’s first ever London Marathon run and the Owen McVeigh Foundation, please visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/natashadowielondonmarathonPlease rate and review our show, as it helps new listeners find us, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-women-s-football-finance-podcast) as we regularly post additional content there.
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55:56
A Relegation Vacation?
In this episode we dive into the WPL’s controversial proposal to (temporarily?) hit the pause button on relegation from the Women's Super League. Val and Steve debate whether, from a business perspective, it will have its desired effect of bringing more investment into the top two tiers of English women’s football, or whether something more radical will be needed to unlock the hoped-for levels of investment. We also explore the growing trend of multi-club ownership in women’s football and discuss whether there are meaningful synergies across women's teams, or whether they are mainly a vehicle for spreading-out financial risk in an immature market. And Val reveals which NWSL team she’d destined to support forever. Please rate and review our show, as it helps new listeners find us, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-women-s-football-finance-podcast) as we regularly post additional content there.
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45:06
Agent of Change (Featuring women's football agent, Giulio Tedeschi)
In this episode, we sit down with Giulio Tedeschi, founder and CEO of Tedeschi & Partners, a pioneering agency dedicated to representing women football/soccer players. While the world of football agency has historically focused on the men’s game, Giulio and his team have been advocating for female talent for nearly 12 years, pushing for fairer contracts, family planning rights, better visibility for players and early focus on post-retirement opportunities. Giulio is a co-founder of the Italian Association of Football Agents and its Women's Football Delegate. In 2021, he wrote Inside the World of a Football Agent, critically analysing international regulations governing the industry. Now with five international offices, 15 employees and over 160 women footballers on his books, Giulio chats with Val, Dave and Steve about the changing landscape of player compensation and representation now that women’s football is starting to become big business on a global scale. The WFF Podcast team also discuss what San Diego Wave can do with the $1.1 million Naomi Girma transfer fee within the NWSL's strict cost control rules. And Steve and Dave agree to accompany Val on foot and by canoe on her quest to adopt the right NWSL team. For more information about Tedeschi & Partners: visit https://www.tedeschiepartners.soccer/Be sure to like and subscribe to our show! And follow us on LinkedIn for additional content (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-women-s-football-finance-podcast)
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51:42
Middle Tier Money Game (with Jonny Slater, Chair, Chorley Women FC)
In this episode, the TWFFP team delve into the financial landscape of the often overlooked middle tiers of English women's football. In the spotlight are Chorley Women, a Tier 4 club with a humble budget but ambitious plans to drive revenue growth in order to push the team further along the professionalisation curve and higher up the pyramid. New club Chair, Jonny Slater, shares details of the club's strategy to grow sustainably and goes full 'open kimono' in sharing the club's detailed financial forecast for the 24/25 season.Val, Dave, and Steve share their take (and Chorley management’s first reaction) to the FA's new proposals to expand tiers 3 through 6 of the English women's pyramid and allow Professional Game Academy teams to parachute directly into Tier 4.Follow The Women's Football Finance Podcast on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-women-s-football-finance-podcast)
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