New Ownership Group Assumes Official Control of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers
November 21, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
Fort Lauderdale, Fla (November 21, 2014) - Now that a hugely successful 2014 season on the pitch has concluded for the Strikers, the club's new ownership group, consisting of Paulo Cesso, Rafael Bertani and Ricardo Geromel, has officially assumed ownership of the club.
Since the September 19 announcement about the sale of the team, the Brazilian ownership group has already made a significant imprint on the club.
The ownership group has, as of November 18, officially parted ways with former Strikers President Tom Mulroy, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Leo Sarmiento and Tournament Director Danny Prenat.
"I'd like to thank 'Soccer' Tom, Leo and Danny for their hard work and dedication to the club," Geromel said. "Tom, Leo, Danny and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers will always have the same goal: to promote and elevate soccer throughout South Florida."
Meanwhile, Strikers Managing Partner Ricardo Geromel and co-Managing Partner Madison Stanford have made Fort Lauderdale their home and spent a substantial amount of time laying groundwork for the club's ownership transition.
The managing partnership duo has done everything from pitching sponsorship packages for 2015 to meeting with local politicians and business leaders in order to lay the foundation for the club's future.
The ownership group's ties in Brazil include soccer legend Ronaldo, who sent a message via Instagram to the organization prior to The Championship Final. The group also has a long-standing relationship with SC Corinthians, Brazil's most famous and valuable club. According to Forbes, Corinthians is the most valuable soccer club outside of Europe and was ranked the 16th most valuable soccer team world wide. On NASL Championship Saturday, Corinthians Facebook cover page featured the Strikers crest. Their Facebook page has nearly 10 million followers.
Incidentally, since the announcement about the Brazilian trio's ownership takeover, the Strikers had not lost a single match, closing the regular season with four victories and three draws, and surviving a penalty kick shoot-out in Minnesota before losing to the San Antonio Scorpions 2-1 in the league final.
About the new owners:
The three Brazilians hold almost equal stakes in the club, but because of NASL requisites, Paulo Cesso is the majority owner. Cesso is an entrepreneur and investor in the field of education; he manages a portfolio of schools and universities in Brazil and invests in several companies.
Rafael Bertani and Ricardo Geromel are the other two owners. Bertani was responsible for implementing Multi Holding Group, Brazil's largest education group, in China, and the company was eventually sold to Pearson for $719.6 million. He invests in several startups in Brazil and heads Startup Grind Sao Paulo.
Geromel is fluent in five languages and has worked on five continents in the fields of agricultural commodities trading, integrated logistics, soccer, and plastics. He has also been writing for Forbes since 2011. Geromel graduated in Business Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey, with a soccer scholarship. He also holds a Masters in Management from ESCP Europe, Paris.
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North American Soccer League Stories from November 21, 2014
- New Ownership Group Assumes Official Control of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
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