Last Updated on: 25th September 2026, 11:47 am
A grassroots women’s football club, Camden Town Women’s FC, has achieved a remarkable feat in its recent fundraising effort. The tier-six club has successfully raised £138,000 from its own fans, surpassing its target by 272%. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the club, which just six years ago was a park-football side with no home ground to call its own.
Camden Town Women’s FC has come a long way since its humble beginnings, training on public pitches in Regent’s Park. The club has won three promotions and secured a league and cup double in the 2024/25 season. This success has been largely due to the support of its dedicated fans, with 98 individuals now owning a stake in the club. The investment opportunities ranged from £24 to £20,000, allowing fans of all levels to become shareholders in their beloved club.
The club’s successful raise on Republic Europe showcases the potential of club superfans to provide crucial funding for their teams. Republic Europe’s portfolio data has revealed that clubs that convert supporters into shareholders experience a 54% increase in customer lifetime value, a 60% rise in brand loyalty and retention, and a two-fold increase in the likelihood of fans actively recruiting other supporters and promoting club partners through word of mouth.
Camden Town WFC chairman, Richard Mahoney, expressed his delight at the success of the investment round, stating, “The success of this investment round sends a powerful message about the appetite to be part of the future of Camden Town WFC. People aren’t simply backing a football club, they’re investing in an ambition, a community, and what we believe can become a genuinely important club in the women’s game.”
He added, “We wanted people to have the opportunity to become part of what we are building, not simply spectators to it. Bringing investors into the club creates a much wider community of people with a genuine stake in our journey and who can share in our ambitions for the future. The response has far exceeded our expectations.”
Maxine Borden, midfielder for Camden Town WFC and a graduate of Chelsea and Arsenal youth academies, also shared her excitement about the investment, saying, “As players, we can feel the ambition growing around Camden Town WFC, and this investment is a real vote of confidence in the team and the wider club. We are building something special here.”
The seed round, hosted on the equity crowdfunding platform Republic Europe, closed on Wednesday 23rd September, having raised over £138,000 against a target of £50,002. This valued the tier-six club at £480,000, making it the first women’s football club to run a fan-investment seed round on Republic Europe. The platform has previously backed fundraises for multiple men’s clubs, including AFC Wimbledon, South Shields, Altrincham, and Dorking Wanderers, raising a total of £10m from over 11,000 investors since 2019.
Tom Field, Head of Sports Investment at Republic Europe, commented on the success of Camden Town WFC’s fundraising effort, saying, “We’ve seen time and again in the men’s game that fans want to be more than spectators, and Camden’s fundraise shows that appetite is growing fast in women’s football. What Richard has built at Camden Town WFC is incredibly impressive and impactful. We’d expect to see a lot more grassroots women’s clubs look at this model as a result.”
The numbers achieved by Camden Town WFC’s fundraising effort reflect the growth of the women’s game globally. According to Deloitte, women’s elite sport’s global revenue has increased by 340% since 2022, reaching $3 billion this year. In the UK, Women’s Super League clubs generated £90m last season, four years after the Lionesses’ European Championship win, which revolutionized the country’s perception of women’s football.
However, the future of women’s football still faces challenges, with most funding remaining at the top of the pyramid. A recent survey by Starling Bank revealed that 97% of coaches at grassroots girls’ and women’s clubs believe they need more funding, and three in four female players expect to drop out of the game within five years if funding is not secured.
Despite these challenges, Camden Town WFC remains determined to continue its growth and success. The club currently boasts over 100 players across four teams and has 15 commercial partners, including Adobe and Entain. Its goal is to reach the Women’s National League in the next three seasons and potentially secure a pathway to the Women’s Super League within five to six years.
Chairman Richard Mahoney concluded, “This investment will allow us to strengthen the foundations of the club, invest in the environment around our players and team, and build the infrastructure needed to take Camden Town WFC to the next level.”
