February 13, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Bay FC News Release
San Francisco – 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 free, 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,…