RismadarVoice Reporters
October 7, 2026
Nigerian-born football administrator Lola Ogunbote has joined Chelsea Women as the club’s new Head of Football Operations and Player Services.
Ogunbote moves to Chelsea after nearly five years with Burnley Women, where she held a senior role in the development and management of the club’s women’s football programme.
She joined Burnley in 2021 as the club’s first Head of Women’s Football, with responsibilities spanning player recruitment, development, performance structures and football administration.
Her time at the club ended following Burnley Women’s promotion after winning the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division title last season.
Ogunbote had already worked with Chelsea during the summer, contributing to preparations for the new campaign and the women’s team’s pre-season activities in Australia and New Zealand.
In her new position, she will oversee key areas of Chelsea Women’s football operations and player services, including the logistical and administrative requirements surrounding the team.
Her appointment represents another major step in a career that has combined football administration with initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for women and girls through sport.
Born in Nigeria and raised in East London after moving to the United Kingdom as a baby, Ogunbote has maintained links with programmes supporting girls through football, particularly in Africa.
She is an executive director of Goals for Girls, a United States-based organisation that uses football to promote leadership and opportunities for young women.
In February 2026, she helped bring the organisation’s football and leadership programme to Surulere, Lagos, where hundreds of female students from schools participated.
Ogunbote was also named on the 2024 Football Black List in recognition of her contributions to football administration.
Her move to Chelsea places the Nigerian-born administrator in a senior operational role at one of England’s leading women’s football clubs as she begins the next stage of her career.
