Nigerian-Born Lola Ogunbote Joins Chelsea Women as Head of Football Operations

Nigerian-born football administrator Lola Ogunbote has been appointed Head of Football Operations and Player Services at Chelsea Women, taking on a key role with one of Europe’s leading women’s football clubs.

Ogunbote joins the London club after almost five years at Burnley, where she played a major role in building the club’s women’s football structure.

Although her appointment has only now been confirmed, Ogunbote reportedly began working with Chelsea earlier in the summer. She has already been involved in important operational duties, including aspects of the club’s pre-season tour and venue arrangements for Women’s Super League and UEFA Women’s Champions League fixtures.

Her move to Chelsea follows a highly successful spell at Burnley. She joined the club in 2021 as its first-ever Head of Women’s Football, overseeing areas including recruitment, player development, performance structures and football operations.

Her work at Burnley culminated in the 2025/26 season when the club won the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division title unbeaten, earning promotion to the Women’s Super League 2 for the first time in its history.

Burnley confirmed Ogunbote’s departure at the end of June 2026. Club owner Alan Pace praised her contribution to the development of the women’s team and credited her with helping establish a lasting footballing structure at the club.

Ogunbote’s career in football administration came after an unconventional professional journey. A UK-qualified lawyer, she previously worked at Goldman Sachs before leaving the corporate world in 2016 to pursue a career in football.

She began that transition through Arsenal’s coaching and community programmes before going on to gain experience across different areas of the game. She is also an Executive Director of Goals for Girls, a US-based organisation that uses football to empower young women.

In February 2026, Ogunbote helped bring the organisation’s leadership and football programme to Surulere, Lagos, where 300 female students from 10 schools participated in the initiative.

Born in Nigeria and raised in East London, Ogunbote has continued to maintain links with football development initiatives in Nigeria while building a career at the highest levels of the women’s game.

Her achievements have also earned wider recognition, including a place on the Football Black List in the administration category.

Ogunbote now takes on the challenge of helping drive the football operations and player services department at Chelsea Women, who finished third in the Women’s Super League last season and continue to compete domestically and in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.