Millions pour into the beautiful game as celebrities back women's football teams

Pioneer investor Alexis Ohanian, who has pitched in with £20m for FA Cup hopefuls Chelsea, first got the ball rolling. Now fellow stars are following suit

- Jessy Parker Humphreys

When Chelsea women take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final today, the most famous athlete in Wembley stadium may not be on the pitch.

The tennis superstar Serena Williams is expected to be in the crowd, enjoying the match with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit, after the announcement last week that he has invested £20m in the club. His 8% stake confirms the London club as the most valuable women's football team in the world.

It is also a move that says a lot about where money is moving in sport. Celebrities have increasingly become investors, particularly in the beautiful game in the US, stars from the Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams and Usher to the actors Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey have put money into football teams, while in the UK Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney transformed the fortunes of Wrexham FC and last year Ed Sheeran took a minority stake in his local Ipswich Town FC.