Founded by former New Zealand Captain, Bex Smith, we take a player-first, incubator-style approach, creating high-performance environments where players thrive and clubs are built on strong foundations. By combining accelerated growth with long-term sustainability, we unlock each club’s full sporting and commercial potential. With global best practices and deep local commitment, Crux honours the unique identity and culture of every club we support, giving them the resources, expertise, and network to win on and off the pitch.
For as long as I can remember, football has been the heartbeat of my life. I’ve seen it from every angle — as a player, as a leader, and as someone privileged to work alongside extraordinary talent in the women’s game. I’ve also seen the barriers.
I started Crux Football because I don’t believe the structures of European women's club football, as they exist today, truly work for the women’s game. Our plan for Crux Football is to acquire control positions in women’s teams across Europe and run them as independent clubs. We will fully support them in achieving their full potential, on the pitch and off.
Too often, women’s teams are treated as an afterthought — folded into legacy men’s clubs without the resources, focus, or freedom to fulfil their potential. Even the most successful women’s teams can find themselves struggling for investment, losing players to financial pressure, and unable to plan long-term.
Starting from the players — and working outwards
At Crux, we’re reversing that approach. We start on the pitch. We start with the players — their needs, their ambitions, and their environment. Then we work outwards: to coaches and staff, to the club’s culture and community, and finally to its commercial strategy.
Our model is player-first and incubator-style. We build high-support environments where performance, health, career development, and club identity are treated as non-negotiable foundations for success.
Think of us as the connective tissue: providing central expertise, shared services, and world-class data and scouting, while respecting and amplifying the unique identity of every club in our network. We combine global best practices with deep local commitment — the best of both worlds.
The right people, the right time
I’m proud of the rockstar team we’ve assembled, but equally inspired by the belief our investors have placed in us. They share our conviction: that building sustainable, independent women’s clubs across Europe isn’t just possible — it’s the next great opportunity in sport.
A market ready to explode
The women’s game is growing faster than ever. By 2025, global revenues in elite women’s sports are forecast to hit $2.35 billion, nearly half of that from European women's football alone. Sponsorship, media rights, and matchday revenues are breaking records — and we’re only at the beginning. Yet most women’s teams are still underfunded and overlooked. This is where Crux sees opportunity — not by competing with men’s clubs, but by building something bespoke, something purpose-built for the women’s game. Acquisition costs are low, growth potential is enormous, and the audience is young, loyal, and hungry for connection.
More than football
For me, women’s football has never been just about sports. It’s about representation for young girls seeing someone who looks like her on the pitch or in the boardroom. It’s for young boys to champion and emulate strong girls and women. And it’s for anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of an inclusive, supportive and celebratory community.
It’s about creating professional environments both on and off the pitch that value great talent regardless of background or what they look like, and showing the world what’s possible when talent meets opportunity.
We’re not here to “add” women’s teams onto an old system. We’re here to rebuild the system — so it works for players, for clubs, and for fans. Because making the women’s game work isn’t just good for football — it’s good for the world.
And that’s what Crux Football is here to do.