Bay FC, the expansion club in its first year of the National Women’s Soccer League, is operating like the Dodgers or Yankees.
On Tuesday, the club announced it has signed 23-year-old Zambian striker Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF. According to multiple reports, Bay FC paid a transfer fee of €735,000 — nearly $800,000 — which is nearly double the world record for a women’s soccer league. The move makes Kundananji the most expensive women’s soccer player in the world.
Kundananji scored 25 goals in the 2022-23 season, second-most in her league. The 24-year-old has represented Zambia in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
She has signed with the club through 2027 with an option for the 2028 season, Bay FC said in a release. Kundananji will be added to the team’s roster once she receives her visa.
“We are delighted to add Racheal to our group,” Bay FC General Manager Lucy Rushton said in a news release. “She is a tremendous talent with dynamic attacking qualities and an incredible physical profile who has produced for both club and country. Racheal has a composure in front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations. We believe she will continue to grow and develop at our club, showcasing her skillset and adding to the array of exciting attacking talent we have here.”
The Kundananji acquisition comes less than two weeks after Bay FC signed Asisat Oshoala, one of the best women’s players in the world, from FC Barcelona.
The club is currently in Southern California for preseason training and will play in the Coachella Valley Invitational preseason tournament in Indio this weekend. Bay FC opens its regular season March 16 with a road date at Angel City FC in Los Angeles.
Bay FC is one of two teams joining the NWSL this season — along with the Utah Royals — to bring America’s top women’s soccer league to 14 teams.
In the Bay Area, Bay FC will compete with the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS as well as the Oakland Roots (USL Championship) and Oakland Soul (USL W League) for attention. Kundananji could very well be the biggest attraction in the region.
“This is the culmination of a lot of work behind the scenes,” Bay FC director of scouting and strategy Austin Buchanan said in the release. “Due to the club and ownership group’s continued support and drive to raise the bar across women’s sport, we are able to bring a true young talent like Racheal to the league. After what has been over a year’s worth of work seen come to fruition, I cannot wait to welcome Racheal to Bay FC and the NWSL.”
