Bay FC signs Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji
San Francisco (Feb. 13, 2024) – Bay FC, the Bay Area’s new women’s professional soccer franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), have acquired the rights to Zambian international Racheal Kundananji through a transfer with Spanish side Madrid CFF in exchange for a transfer fee, the club announced today. Following the transfer, the forward was signed to a contract through the 2027 season with an option for the 2028 campaign. She will join the team and be added to the roster pending the receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Kundananji will occupy an international roster spot.
“We are delighted to add Racheal to our group,” said Bay FC General Manager Lucy Rushton. “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.”
In Aug. 2022, Kundananji signed with Madrid CFF, scoring 25 goals during her first season with the club in the 2022-23 campaign. Her 25 goals ranked second-most in the league as she helped Madrid to a fifth-place finish. During the 2023-24 season, Kundananji appeared in 14 matches, recording eight goals and four assists. Prior to her arrival at Madrid, she was with SD Eibar in Spain, where she tallied eight goals in 21 appearances.
Director of Scouting & Strategy, Austin Buchanan, who has tracked Racheal for many years, added, “This is the culmination of a lot of work behind the scenes. 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.”
Before making the move to Europe, Kundananji signed her first professional contract abroad with BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan at the age of 18. She helped the team win back-to-back league championships in 2019 and 2020. In 2018, Kundananji played for Ideni Roses of Zambia’s Copperbelt Women’s League, scoring 21 goals in 18 games as the team won the league title.
At the international level, Kundananji represented Zambia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. It marked her first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She scored her first career World Cup goal in a 3-1 win over Costa Rica in the group stage of the 2023 tournament. Notably, she tallied a brace in her international debut at the 2018 Women’s African Cup of Nations.
Racheal Kundananji
Pronunciation: Ray-chel koon-da-nahn-jee
Position: Forward
Height: 5-7
Birthdate: June 3, 2000
Hometown: Zambia
Previous Club: Madrid CFF (Spain)
Citizenship: Zambia
Ticket deposits are now open for Bay FC’s inaugural season and new merchandise can be purchased at BayFC.com. Fans can also follow @wearebayfc on social channels for more exciting announcements to come.
About Bay Football Club
Bay Football Club (Bay FC) is the new women’s professional soccer franchise representing the Bay Area and the 14th team to join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Bay FC was established in April 2023 and co-founded by USWNT legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner in partnership with global investment firm Sixth Street and an investor group of leading tech, business and sports executives. Sixth Street’s investment is the largest institutional investment to date in a women’s professional sports franchise. Bay FC is changing the face of women’s soccer as we know it. Beginning play in the 2024 season, we are building a squad that will play the beautiful game with power, passion, energy, and creativity. Ticket deposits are now open for Bay FC at https://bayfc.com and fans can follow Bay FC’s social channels (@wearebayfc) for the latest news, merchandise, and events.
