News Release
Mercury/13 & F.C. Como Women Reimagines
Women's Football with New Elevated Brand Identity Targeting Female Audience
500NewsWire
Lake Como, Italy, July 18th, 2024 - ( 500NewsWire ) -- Ahead of the start of the 24/25 Serie A Femminile Ebay season, F.C. Como Women, Mercury/13 ’s inaugural portfolio club, is thrilled to unveil its new brand identity. This game-changing rebranding effort, led by Communion Studio, aims to build F.C. Como Women into the world’s preeminent premium brand with a mission to captivate and inspire a global female audience. A New Era in Women’s Football Building a brand that transcends football and articulating a shared mindset that is easy to relate to, was fundamental. Being a woman playing professional football is a brave, and often impossible accomplishment of its own, and we believe it should be a symbol of resilience, celebration and acknowledgment of ambitious women aiming to achieve the impossible in other arenas, too. “This exciting brand unveil is in line with Mercury/13’ s mission to bring football to the other half of the world,” said Victoire Cogevina Reynal, co-founder and co-CEO of the club’s parent company. “I grew up loving football, but never felt it was built for me. A century later in football, this new brand is purpose-built for us. I hope the FCCW crest becomes a global emblem representative of the unimaginable things we can achieve as women despite the odds being stacked against us. Our players are a daily reminder of this, this club is a daily reminder of this… it's ultimately a shared feeling that transcends football”. From its inception, Mercury/13 proposed an innovative approach that breaks all the rules of a traditional football club. Women playing at the highest level of professional football begs for a fresh approach, and a tailored strategy. The new brand identity is designed to resonate with a female audience that values gender equality, acknowledging and celebrating a world where women are empowered. Andy Harvey, co-founder of Communion Studio: “ F.C. Como Women is a project we instantly wanted to work on, the ambitions and energy to make tangible change were so clear. We embraced the challenge of intentionally expanding the audience for football in one of the most fanatical parts of the world for the men's game by creating a brand that had crossover appeal, at home in Como, and in wardrobes of cool people following the club from anywhere.” The New Brand Identity “The new identity intentionally breaks from the past, and without a legacy, we become free to design a brand that only looks forward,” states Nancy Hensley who led the project for Mercury/13. New codes for a new chapter in the Women’s game. The colours were purposefully brought back to white and black, to purify and step away from the patterns and stripes that other Italian teams often adopt. The crest was inspired by conversations about the power of timeless monograms and symbols. Details in the design reference reflections on the lake and the textile weaving that the region is known for. Inspired by the storied past and iconic status of our home city of Como, F.C. Como Women stands as one of the only independent clubs in the Italian top flight. From our bold, fashion-inspired monogram to our classic block monochrome colours, our design dares to be different, creating new visual codes for the women's game. Brand Truths We play with heart and humility. Our players deliver passion-fueled performances with an uncharacteristic humility that is rare in professional athletes. An underdog with main character energy. Every time we step on a field, we are by definition the challenger, but that doesn’t stop us from showing up ready to fight for our spot. We are legacy-makers carving our own path. In a league filled with century-old football heritage, we proudly represent the future of the women’s game, redefining what's possible every day. Our dreams transcend football. This is more than just a football club; it’s a symbol of recognition and celebration of women who dare to do the impossible. The Power of Partnership We are big believers in building partnerships where we see a natural alignment of values. As one of the only women’s football clubs in Italy, we represent the future and want to build on an ambitious vision that has been resonating with many potential sponsors (national and international). We have thoughtfully approached the market with a new perspective seeking founding partners, not just sponsors - structuring our commercial packages to reflect this new model. Brands that have been a natural fit are predominantly in the beauty and fashion realm, a sector that has only recently seen the opportunity in women’s sports. These sectors have historically serve a female audience, and through this type of partnership they see an opportunity to walk the talk by empowering women on a whole other level. Later this summer we will be announcing our technical sponsor and several other partners that have already committed to the club, in search for a brighter, better future. To our fans, old and new Starting this month, fans will encounter a new website and redesigned social media channels that reflect this new identity. For more information, please visit our website at www.comowomen.it or contact us at press@mercury13.com ++ About F.C. Como Women S.S.D F.C Como Women was founded in 2020 by President Stefano Verga under the sporting title of Riozzese Como. However, the roots of women's football in Como trace back to 1997 with the establishment of Como 2000, evolving into A.C.F. Como. In 2020, they couldn’t register for the championship, opening the door for the new Riozzese Como, the club became the current F.C. Como Women and went on to secure every category promotion until achieving a historic jump to Serie A, the female Italian first division, in 2021/22. This notable achievement coincided with the inaugural season of professionalism in Italian women's football. Now, F.C. Como Women stands as one of the only independent women’s football teams in the Serie A Femminile. In addition to the first team's success, FC Como Women encompasses a thriving youth academy, including U19, U17, U15, U12, and U11 categories. In March of 2024, in a landmark deal, Mercury/13 - a women’s football multi-club ownership group led by Victoire Cogevina Reynal and Mario Malavé - acquired a controlling stake in F.C. Como Women, partnering with club to write a new chapter in Women’s Football. About Mercury/13 Mercury/13 is a multi-club ownership group focused on acquiring controlling stakes in professional women's football teams in Europe. The group aims to invest 100 million dollars in women’s football over the coming years. The vision is to become the industry standard of women’s football ownership, by identifying and investing in the next decade’s super clubs and fueling their commercial power to attract a massive, yet underserved, market: women. The group's acquisition strategy is based on the fundamental principle that women's football is a different game, and fans want a different experience. Led by Victoire Cogevina Reynal and Mario Malavé the group is made up of seasoned executives with successful track records in sport, investment, and technology. The founding team is positioned with unique backgrounds, experience, and skills to become the main player in this space: Luis Vicente, former FIFA Chief Innovation Officer, Eniola Aluko MBE, ex Chelsea & England National Team and former founding Sporting Director of Aston Villa women & Angel City FC, Nancy Hensley former CPMO, Stats Perform and CDO, IBM, Ebru Koksal, former CEO and Board Member of Turkish football club Galatasaray’s and currently the chair of Women in Football, Michael Broughton who co-founded Sports Innovation Partners and has over 22 years of sports experience with deep expertise in media and operations. As well as Brigit Lee, a tech executive currently with Sony PlayStation and formerly at Amazon and Best Buy, with 25 years of experience working forging strategic partnerships and develop new, innovative commercial business models. About Communion Studio COMMUNION is a creative partner to brands that want to bring inspirational change into the world. Having built brands and innovative experiences for global powerhouses like Burberry, Apple, Nike, and Smythson and launched several startups, they chose to create a studio with a single, compelling purpose: to work only with brands that want to create radically positive futures. Their approach is purpose-led and partnership-driven. Working closely with the brands’ leadership and teams they build culturally aware strategies that move the brand into new territories and help them become good ancestors, which they realise through beautiful design, innovative storytelling, and campaigns. Founded by Andy Harvey who was a key part of the Burberry brand and digital reinvention and has led creative teams at some of London’s most admired studios, the team is a true communion of creative industry talent. Client partnerships are headed by Alex Woolfe, who builds on the campaign and brand delivery expertise for Aman, Expedia, and Zegna. The design team is headed by Fred Ross, who has led work with Nike, Fondation Chanel, On, and Red Bull Music. Creative strategy is headed by Ally Tyler, who has led impactful strategies for Spotify, Netflix, Gucci, YOOX Net-a-Porter Group, Nike, Adidas and McLaren. The studio works with ZEGNA (who they have partnered with since 2021 on brands transformation and storytelling, such as their Born In Oasi Zegna platform, Zegna x Norda partnership, and campaigns with icons like Mads Mikkelsen), Rosewood Hotels, with who they are partnering with on a complete brand reinvention (touching everything from purpose, digital channels, identity, campaigns and experience) — as well as a roster of clients ranging from global fashion houses, purpose-led lifestyle innovators to cultural institutions. ASSETS: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Pl3MVxLbWxQml-re7dqQVJxB8bzJgL1J Contact Details Mercury/13 press@mercury13.com
July 18, 2024 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
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