Financial News
US-BASED GROUP BUYS HISTORIC WOMEN’S SOCCER CLUB IN ROME; PLANS TO BUILD GLOBAL BRAND IN THE ETERNAL CITY
--News Direct--
Res Roma VIII (“Res Roma” or “Res”), an elite women’s soccer club based in Rome, Italy, today announced it has reached an acquisition agreement with an American-based ownership group with plans to expand the club’s footprint on an international level and build it into one of the most exciting projects in women’s sports.
Res Roma is the only independent women’s club based in Rome competing in the elite divisions. The club has produced more than 30 players who have played on the Italian National Team and top European clubs. The club was born exclusively to grow the women’s game, with no male branch overshadowing its women’s team. Res was founded in 2003 to engage young girls from troubled backgrounds from Rome and to offer them redemption opportunities.
Main partners in the venture include principal owner Matt Rizzetta; Rome-based executive and current President Francesco Sortino; NYU sports culture professor and Academic Director at the Tisch Institute for Global Sport Gina Antoniello; and multi-asset sports entity Club Underdog.
“Rome is an iconic city, and this is just the first step as we transform Res into a destination brand for women’s soccer across the world,” said principal owner Matt Rizzetta. “We believe this will be one of the most exciting and inspiring ventures in the global women’s sports landscape and would like to thank Res founder Dr. Francesco Sortino for sharing our vision and giving us this opportunity.”
The women’s soccer landscape in Rome includes Serie A sides AS Roma and SS Lazio, both being the women’s branches of their male parent clubs; and Res Roma, which is currently in Serie B.
This news comes on the heels of record growth and investment in women’s soccer. Global revenues in women’s soccer grew by 35 percent last year, and UEFA recently announced an investment of more than $1 billion to grow the women’s game across Europe.
Women’s soccer is expected to be a multibillion-dollar industry by 2026 and recent valuations and M&A transactions have validated this thesis. Angel City FC was recently acquired by former Disney CEO Bob Iger for $250 million and Chelsea FC’s women’s team was valued at $200 million.
Simone Calzolai, Esq., Founder of SLC Law Firm, served as legal advisor. New ownership plans to announce exciting news and initiatives in the months ahead to build an international footprint.
ABOUT CLUB UNDERDOG POWERED BY N6
Club Underdog is a multi-club sports entity wholly owned and operated by North Sixth Group, a New York and Los Angeles-based family office operating company. Under its ownership are historic sports clubs and assets including Campobasso FC, Dagenham & Redbridge FC, and Brooklyn FC. North Sixth Group became one of the first foreign ownership groups in history to achieve back-to-back promotions with Italian side Campobasso FC, bringing the club from the fifth tier to Serie C in just two years. In 2023, the group also made history as the first ownership group to bring an expansion football franchise to the Borough of Brooklyn. Kicking off in USL Super League and USL Championship in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Brooklyn FC is one of the only sports franchises in the United States to include a professional men’s and women’s team under the same platform.
ABOUT RES ROMA VIII
Founded in 2003 with the objective of engaging young girls from troubled backgrounds from Rome and the surrounding areas and offering them redemption opportunities, Res Roma is the most successful independent women’s team of Rome with a tradition and heritage respected across Italy.
In 2018, Res Roma’s sporting title was sold to AS Roma and became the modern-day women’s branch of the AS Roma organization. Thanks to this acquisition, AS Roma continued Res Roma’s path of excellence, winning two consecutive Italian Serie A championships in 2023 and 2024. Leveraging its reputation and competency in women’s soccer, Res Roma was re-founded under its current name Res Roma VIII, where it restarted from the fourth division and climbed all the way up to Serie B, where it competes today.
Res Roma plays its home matches at Linkem Arena, one of the only women’s-specific professional soccer venues in Rome.
Contact Details
N6 for Club Underdog
Zak Hawke
+1 717-756-7536
Company Website
View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/us-based-group-buys-historic-womens-soccer-club-in-rome-plans-to-build-global-brand-in-the-eternal-city-340615403
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