In what is a first deal of its kind in England, Mercury13 have acquired a majority stake in Bristol City Women, potentially signalling the beginning of an exciting new era for the club.
Bristol has never been a city to follow convention. It’s the place that gave the world Banksy, drum and bass, trip hop — and a culture that thrives on independence and self-expression. That spirit is now lacing itself into football, with Mercury13’s acquisition of Bristol City Women promising to reimagine not only the future of the club, but the very way women’s football is owned, consumed, and celebrated in England.
This is the first deal of its kind in the country: a multi-club ownership group dedicated exclusively to women’s football taking the reins of a side with history, ambition and a fanbase ready to go all in. For a sport that has often been held up against the standards of the men’s game, Mercury13 — founded by Victoire Cogevina Reynal and Mario Malavé — is rewriting the playbook. Their portfolio already includes F.C. Como Women in Italy, and now Bristol becomes the English heartbeat of a project designed to prove that women’s football doesn’t just belong in the same conversation — it deserves its own.
The symbolism couldn’t be clearer. Ashton Gate, a stadium that once hosted just a few hundred fans for a Champions League clash with Barcelona, will now be the permanent home of Bristol City Women. Today it sells out Lionesses games and averaged nearly 7,000 for WSL matches. That’s not just growth — that’s cultural shift. In a city with a history of turning underground movements into global exports, the timing feels almost poetic.
But this isn’t only about bricks, mortar and balance sheets. Football’s power is measured in its ability to connect, to create experiences that stick long after the final whistle. Mercury13’s model is about weaving women’s football into the everyday — not as an add-on, but as something central to the rhythm of a city. Matchdays at Ashton Gate, with live screenings, local energy, and a collective sense of celebration, are set to feel more like festivals than fixtures. It’s the kind of atmosphere that can make a club not just a team to support, but a lifestyle to buy into.
On the pitch, new Head Coach Charlotte Healey has rebuilt her squad with 13 signings and clear intent: promotion back to the WSL. Off it, the commitment to the Robins High Performance Centre and the club’s Tier 1 Academy underlines a long-term vision that connects youth pathways to first-team opportunity. It’s an ecosystem designed for sustainability, but it’s also one that reflects the city’s character: progressive, creative, proud of its roots yet restless for what’s next.
The Lansdown family will retain a minority share, but this marks a shift from custodianship to something that feels more like a generational handover. As Steve Lansdown himself said, this is about finding the right partner at the right time. Mercury13’s approach, centred on women’s football rather than treating it as an extension of the men’s game, sets this apart from anything England has seen before.
Globally, the women’s game is at a tipping point. Record crowds, fresh broadcasting deals, and an ever-growing audience demanding something distinct. In that context, Mercury13’s arrival in Bristol feels bigger than one club. It’s a statement that the next wave of football culture won’t be defined by legacy institutions alone, but by new voices prepared to see the game differently.
When City Women step out at Ashton Gate on 27 September for their first home match of the season, the energy will feel like more than 90 minutes of football. It’ll be a celebration of everything this city stands for: independence, creativity, resilience. For fans who’ve been there through highs and lows, and for the wider women’s game watching on, this moment could come to symbolise something bigger — the point where women’s football stopped asking to be compared and started writing its own story.
Bristol City Women’s first game at Ashton Gate this season is on Saturday 27 September, with a 6pm kick-off set to follow a live screening of the Rugby World Cup Final in the stadium’s Independence Sports Bar, creating a celebratory double event for fans.
