Nigerian-born football administrator Lola Ogunbote has joined Chelsea Women as Head of Football Operations and Player Services following her departure from Burnley after almost five years with the club.
Ogunbote began working with Chelsea earlier this summer and has already taken up responsibilities across the women’s team’s football operations.
She played a role in Chelsea Women’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand and has also been involved in the club’s arrangements for Women’s Super League and UEFA Women’s Champions League fixtures at different venues.
The football administrator joined Burnley in 2021 as the club’s first Head of Women’s Football, taking charge of areas including recruitment, player development, performance structures and football operations.
Her spell at Burnley ended on a high as the women’s team won the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division title and secured promotion last season.
Burnley announced on June 23 that Ogunbote would leave the club at the end of the month.
At Chelsea, Ogunbote has already contributed to preparations for Women’s Super League home fixtures at Stamford Bridge and Champions League matches at AFC Wimbledon.
She has also taken responsibility for matchday operations across both competitions.
Before moving into football administration, Ogunbote trained as a UK-qualified lawyer and worked at Goldman Sachs. She left the corporate sector in 2016 to pursue a career in football.
She subsequently joined Arsenal’s Gap Year programme, where she gained experience in coaching, player development and football operations across different countries.
Born in Nigeria and raised in East London after moving to Britain as a baby, Ogunbote has remained involved in initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for girls through football in Africa.
She serves as an executive director of the United States-based Goals for Girls and brought the organisation’s leadership and football programme to Surulere, Lagos, in February 2026.
The two-day programme brought together 300 female students from 10 schools for football training and leadership development.
Ogunbote’s growing profile in football administration earned her a place in the administration category of the 2024 Football Black List, alongside prominent figures including Paul Elliott, Mark Esiri and Fleur Robinson.
Her appointment at Chelsea further strengthens the Nigerian connection in the Women’s Super League, with Super Falcons goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor at Crystal Palace and Rofiat Imuran at Aston Villa also featuring in the English women’s top flight.
