Ex-CAF Chief Operating Officer Ijasanmi Joins Charlton Athletic Women's New Board

Abiola (Abi) Ijasanmi | Image Courtesy of Chartlon Athletic FC

Charlton Athletic Women have set up a standalone club board ahead of their return to English football's top flight, bringing in the former Confederation of African Football chief operating officer Abi Ijasanmi and former club owner Stephen King as independent directors.

Abiola (Abi) Ijasanmi, the first woman to serve as Chief Operating Officer of the Confederation of African Football, has joined the new Charlton Athletic Women Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director, alongside former club owner Stephen King. The appointments come as Charlton prepare for their first Women's Super League season since losing top-flight status in 2007, and see the pair join Chairman Gavin Carter, Managing Director James Rodwell and Director of Strategy Simon Lenagan on the newly formed board.

Carter called the new board "an important step for the club as we prepare for life in the Women's Super League," and pointed to Ijasanmi's governance background and King's ties to the club as what the board needs heading into the new season according to a release by the club.

African Sports Investor (ASI)

Ijasanmi is founder and CEO of African Sports Investor (ASI), an advisory and investment platform built around making sports organisations investment-ready, with a focus on women's football. She called Charlton's promotion "an important moment in both the club's development and the wider growth of the women's professional game."

King previously owned Charlton Women, overseeing their 2018 promotion to the second tier before selling to Thomas Sandgaard in 2021 in a deal that reunited the men's and women's teams under common ownership. He said he intends to "draw on my business experience and long history with the club to add value" as the club targets sustainability alongside results on the pitch.

Ijasanmi's entire post-CAF career has been built around making sports organisations attractive to outside capital, and her presence on this board reads less like a ceremonial appointment and more like Charlton signalling that WSL survival will take investment beyond what a promoted club generates from tickets and broadcast splits alone.