DUBLIN, Ireland and MILAN, Italy, Sept. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its inaugural year, AP Brera Strumica, a North Macedonian U-19s football club 90%-owned by Brera Holdings PLC, the first publicly-listed football (American soccer) focused company in the world of professional sports multi-club ownership and investment (Nasdaq: BREA), is set to grace the international stage. Following a stellar league campaign last season, which saw the team clinch the title with 17 victories out of 22 matches and an impressive tally of 99 goals, Brera Strumica’s U19s are poised to make their debut in the prestigious UEFA Youth League.

The young "neroverdi" (black and green) have been placed in the 'Domestic Champions Path,' a new format for this year that includes champions from 52 out of 55 UEFA-affiliated leagues. This path consists of three knockout rounds, played over two legs each—home and away. Should the team advance through all three rounds, they would qualify for the second phase, commencing in February 2025, which also features clubs that have progressed from the 'Champions League Path.'

UEFA Senior Club Competitions Manager Tom Barlow draws out the card of FK AP Brera Strumica

On September 3rd in Nyon, Switzerland, Brera Strumica participated in the draw for the 11th edition of Europe's premier youth tournament for the first time. In the opening round, scheduled to be played on September 17th at home and October 2nd away, the club will face FK Sarajevo from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A view of the draw results during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 Domestic Champions Path Round 1, 2 and 3 Draw at the UEFA Headquarters, The House of European Football, on September 3, 2024, in Nyon, Switzerland. SOURCE: UEFA

The victor will proceed to the second round, where they will meet Maccabi Petah Tikva from Israel. Should they advance further, a potential third-round clash awaits against either Trabzonspor (Turkey), Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro), or Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia).

A general view of the Youth League trophy

ABOUT BRERA HOLDINGS PLC

Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) is focused on expanding its social impact football (American soccer) business by developing a global portfolio of emerging football and other sports clubs with increased opportunities to earn tournament prizes, gain sponsorships, and provide other professional football- and sports-related consulting services.

The Company seeks to build on the legacy and brand of Brera FC, the first football club that was acquired by the Company in 2022. Brera FC, known as "The Third Team of Milan," is an amateur football association which has been building an alternative football legacy since its founding in 2000. The Company owns the trademarked FENIX Trophy Tournament, a nonprofessional pan-European football competition recognized by UEFA, inaugurated in September 2021 and organized by Brera FC. "FENIX" is an acronym for "Friendly European Nonprofessional Innovative Xenial." BBC Sport has called the FENIX Trophy "the Champions League for amateurs," and ESPN covered the 2024 FENIX Trophy finals. In October 2022, the Internet Marketing Association at its IMPACT 22 Conference named Brera FC as its award recipient for "Social Impact Through Soccer," recognizing the Company's focus at an international level with this distinction.

In March 2023, the Company expanded to Africa with the establishment of Brera Tchumene FC, a team then admitted to the Second Division League in Mozambique, a country of nearly 32 million people. Brera Tchumene FC won its post-season tournament and in November 2023 was promoted to Mocambola, the First Division in Mozambique. In April 2023, the Company acquired 90% of the European first division football team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC, in North Macedonia, a country with participation rights in two major Union of European Football Association ("UEFA") competitions.

In June 2023, Brera acquired a strategic stake in Manchester United PLC, a portion of which was subject to a tender offer by Sir Jim Radcliffe and sold at a 74% realized gain. In July 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of a majority ownership in the Italian Serie A1 women's professional volleyball team UYBA Volley S.s.d.a.r.l. In September 2023, the Company assumed control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a team in the Mongolian National Premier League, which became Brera Ilch FC when the football season resumed in March 2024. In January 2024, the Company announced the launch of a proactive search for an Italian Serie B football club target designed to bring multi-club ownership of the highest tiers of professional sports ownership to mass investors through the Company's Nasdaq-listed shares. In February 2024, the Brera Holdings Advisory Board was established with MLS founder and World Cup director Alan Rothenberg, luxury lifestyle executive Massimo Ferragamo, sports business leaders Paul Tosetti and Marshall Geller, and Italian football icon Giuseppe Rossi.

In June 2024 the North Macedonian women’s football club Tiverija Strumica officially become part of the Brera family with the establishment of a joint-stock company controlled by Brera Holdings called Women's Football Club Tiverija Brera AD Strumica (“Brera Tiverija”). Brera Tiverija is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC. This is a landmark transaction that marks a first in women’s football in North Macedonia, showing Brera Holdings’ ongoing dedication and commitment to investing in women’s sports, gender equity, and social impact globally.

As part of Brera Strumica, Brera Tiverija will continue to build upon the work that Brera Strumica President Goran Pandev has done in North Macedonia towards professionalizing the sport in the country. Brera Tiverija is the first joint-stock company in women’s football in North Macedonia, and Brera Holdings is also the first foreign investor in women's football in North Macedonia. The move away from an association ownership will open the door for future investment into Brera Tiverija.

Brera Holdings PLC is focused on bottom-up value creation from undervalued sports clubs and talent, innovation powered business growth, and socially-impactful outcomes. See www.breraholdings.com

CONTACT INFORMATION:

FOR MEDIA AND INVESTOR RELATIONS
Pierre Galoppi, Chief Executive Officer, Brera Holdings PLC
Email: pierre@breraholdings.com

Attachments

• A view of the draw results during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 Domestic Champions Path Round 1, 2 and 3 Draw at the UEFA Headquarters, The House of European Football, on September 3, 2024, in Nyon, Switzerland. SOURCE: UEFA
• UEFA Senior Club Competitions Manager Tom Barlow draws out the card of FK AP Brera Strumica
• A general view of the Youth League trophy