Three Brazilian Investors Acquire Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Published on September 19, 2014 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla (September 19, 2014) - Traffic Sports, owner of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, announced today that a group of three Brazilian investors - Paulo Cesso, Ricardo Geromel, and Rafael Bertani - has purchased the team.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), which is a present-day revival of the league where Pelé played back in the glory days of soccer in the US. In fact, a match between the Strikers and the New York Cosmos drew 77,691, a record which still stands for a league game between two professional US soccer teams.
The number of soccer fans in the US is rapidly growing:
- Americans bought more tickets to the 2014 World Cup than citizens of any other country besides Brazil, the host country, and they bought more tickets than fans of the next three countries-Germany, Argentina, and England-combined.
- US TV ratings for the World Cup increased 37% from 2010 to 2014.
- Over 26 million Americans watched the 2014 FIFA World Cup final on TV (more than the World Series, NBA Finals, and the Stanley Cup).
- There are over 25 million children between 4 and 17 playing soccer in the US, more than in any other country besides China. However, FIFA estimates that there are only 9,000 soccer clubs in the US (Brazil, for example, has about 30,000). England, France, and Spain each have less than 1/5 of the number of kids playing soccer but more than twice the number of soccer clubs.
As soccer clubs are expected to mushroom in the US and as the talent level of locals rises, the new ownership wants to attract and retain the crème de la crème of American soccer talent: "Our vision is to boost the level of play in the NASL to the point where local players and fans won't have to look any further than their own backyards to play and watch world-class pro soccer," says Geromel, who will be the managing partner.
Cesso challenges, "Who is the goalkeeper that made the best save of all World Cups? Gordon Banks! Who do Germans say is their own Pelé? Gerd Muller! Who did Pelé himself say was the best player in the world? George Best! These legends have all played for the Strikers! Other stars that played for our team were Elias Figueroa, Nene Cubillas, Marinho Chagas, and Ray Hudson. These players made us dream. We are proud and ready to announce that we will invest to turn the Strikers back into a household name."
The new ownership group is determined to bring back the glory of that Strikers legacy. "We will win championships and make the South Florida community proud of its only professional soccer team. Our owners have strong ties to education, entrepreneurship, and technology. We will build on these strengths to turn the Strikers into a global reference in innovation and sports," says Bertani.
The Strikers were revived in 2011 under the ownership of Traffic Sports USA, which has managed the team until now. "Today is an exciting day for the NASL, South Florida and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Over the nine years since we brought professional soccer back to South Florida, we have spearheaded the rebirth of the Strikers and the NASL and humbly contributed to changing the landscape and accelerating the growth of soccer in North America," said Aaron Davidson, president of Traffic Sports and Chairman of the NASL Board of Governors. "After an intense process of reviewing over 10 candidates for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, we are convinced that the new ownership group led by Paulo Cesso, Ricardo Geromel, and Rafael Bertani are the destined torchbearers to elevate the team to ever-increasing heights. They are well-funded, successful entrepreneurs who are passionate about soccer and education and are enchanted by South Florida and the rich history of the Strikers. We look forward to continuing to work with them as strategic partners who will always love and support the Strikers and the NASL."
Bill Peterson, the commissioner of NASL, adds, "We're very excited to welcome the new ownership group into our league. Paulo, Ricardo, Rafael, and their families are committed to building a winning franchise on the field and being a big part of Fort Lauderdale off the field. The group is extremely excited to get started and their passion for the sport is exactly what is needed to make the Strikers a long-term success."
The new owners will be at the Strikers' home game tomorrow at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (7:00 pm, Saturday, September 20th) to meet fans and cheer for the Strikers, who are currently battling for a spot in the postseason. Go to strikers.com to read more and purchase a ticket to see them play!
More 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.
The new ownership will take over at the conclusion of this season. Traffic Sports will continue to support the new ownership group and team as a strategic partner.
North American Soccer League Stories from September 19, 2014
- Traffic Sports USA Will Focus Energy and Resources on RailHawks - North Carolina FC
- Brazilian Group Purchases Fort Lauderdale Strikers - NASL
- Three Brazilian Investors Acquire Fort Lauderdale Strikers - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- United Set to Face Scorpions in 'Fight for First' - Minnesota United FC
- Austin da Luz Returns to the RailHawks - North Carolina FC
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