Mario Malavé kicked off the discussion by stating Mercury/13’s aim: “We are trying to build the leading multi-club ownership in women’s football.
They are in the early stages of their plan. “One club at a time,” said Malavé. The first club is Como Women, acquired in March, one of two independent teams competing in Serie A in Italy. They are looking at many countries for their next investment, including England.
He explained why they identified a club in Italy to start their project, where there is less awareness of the women’s game. “We have a very long term investment horizon. We are growing awareness for the brand”. There is no crossover with the men’s football club in Como, which is a different entity.
Victoire Cogevina Reynal said she wants to establish: “How do these clubs build brands and speak to a female audience for the first time?”
She said that they have used unconventional methods to communicate with that target female audience including working with fashion magazines, but is also delighted that more conventionally Como has established a partnership with Nike, who worked at great speed to launch a new kit.
Malavé elaborated on their revolutionary approach to making Como a success. They have started by aiming for commercial success first, through branding, corporate sponsors and merchandise, believing that will lead to a more successful team on the field. The conventional approach has been the reverse, with on field performance initially prioritised ahead of commercial success.
Traditional businesses may be drawn to established clubs but Cogevina Reynal makes a virtue of having an untraditional product as it is attractive to different sponsors and businesses. Como can offer flexibility. “You’ll find a team that is at the very beginning of their journey,” she said.
Malavé believes their final roster of sponsors will look very different from the more established clubs.
But she stressed that competitive pressures mean that Como can’t simply focus on their brand, mentioning the threat of relegation in Serie A.
As for the future, Malavé suggested that Mercury/13 would like to be making further acquisitions, “in the next couple of quarters.” UK and Spain are their top two target markets, with research being concentrated on which level of the game to enter.
And the dream number of clubs? “Five is a very ambitious target,” said Malavé.
