Rix & Kay Advise on Sale of Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club

Rix & Kay’s Corporate Team have acted for Stephen King in his sale of Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club Limited. The deal sees ultimate ownership of the Club move to Thomas Sandgaard.

Sandgaard purchased Charlton Athletic FC in September 2020. The deal means that both the men’s and women’s clubs are under the same ownership for the first time since 2007.

Kathryn Paisley, Head of Corporate at Rix & Kay, led the deal on behalf of Stephen King. Kathryn commented,

“Rix & Kay have advised on another high-profile deal in the sports sector. Our reputation in this field is well established and it’s wonderful to be able to add another professional sports club to our credentials, particularly a women’s club. The firm continues to work for a strong roster of professional, semi-professional and grass-roots sports clubs.”

Charlton Athletic Women have a great history and became one of the leading teams in domestic women’s football during the early 2000s, winning both the FA Cup and the League Cup. The team currently play in the English football’s second tier.

Thomas Sandgaard commented,

“I have loved my first few months in charge of the club and people will have probably seen that I’ve been bitten by the Charlton bug.  One of the first things I did when I was in London after the takeover was go and watch Charlton Athletic Women play and I knew then that I wanted to bring the two clubs back together.

“Women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and you can see that a lot of the big clubs are investing in their women’s team. My long-term aim for Charlton is to reach the highest levels with both the men’s team and the women’s team, so I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Charlton Women controversially disbanded in 2007 and were kept afloat initially by Charlton Athletic Community Trust and then by Charlton fan and local businessman Stephen King.

King said: “I am delighted to be able to direct Charlton Athletic Women into such safe hands. The last ten years has been an exciting yet challenging time in charge with some great highs, including the promotion in 2018 and turning semi-professional. There have been very difficult periods, none more challenging than the current pandemic. Women’s football is growing at pace, and so are the demands on those running these clubs. I am pleased and relieved that Charlton Athletic Women have been able to come through it, and I am convinced the club now has a very positive future to look forward to under the stewardship of Mr Sandgaard.”