President Francesca Bodie’s Introductory Roundtable
On the morning of Friday, June 12, Venezia FC President Francesca Bodie met with a group of journalists in a roundtable discussion to officially introduce herself to the media and outline the steps that led her to assume the club’s highest office. Accompanied by Sporting Director and General Manager Filippo Antonelli, Director of Operations Andrea Rogg, and Chief Revenue Officer Nicola Boscaro, in the magnificent setting of Torre Velasca in Milan, President Bodie had the opportunity to discuss the key issues surrounding the current affairs of the arancioneroverdi.
Francesca Bodie, Venezia FC President.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to represent Venezia today alongside the club executives who are here with me. I have had the opportunity to work in the world of sports for more than twenty years, and I consider this journey a great privilege. I was born in Como, studied in Florence, and I deeply love this country and the extraordinary city of Venice. It is a source of pride for me to represent both the club and the local community today.
After graduating from Stanford in California, I immediately began working in the sports industry, focusing on events, entertainment, and real estate development. The OVG Group, founded by my father more than ten years ago, grew from an entirely new venture. Together with the group’s stakeholders, we developed numerous sports arena projects across the United States, building partnerships between the public and private sectors. We later expanded our activities into the United Kingdom and then internationally.
We devoted a tremendous amount of energy to the growth of OVG Group, but both my father and I felt the desire to return to working directly for a sports club. When the opportunity arose to become part of Venezia FC, we embraced it enthusiastically. We found a Sporting Director of the highest caliber and a stadium project of enormous interest, one that can become a benchmark for sports and entertainment in our country.
Globally, there is a strong demand for ambitious and successful sports projects, and this is one of the reasons we have moved increasingly closer to the world of football. Football is the most followed sport in the world, and Italy offers extraordinary opportunities thanks to clubs with a century-long tradition such as Venezia, a reality that has no equivalent in the United States. My father has always taught me that being able to work in something you love is an incredible privilege, and that is why I am personally involved in this project. We are not simply investors: we are operators who want to listen, understand, and build a successful model. We are here with a long-term perspective.
As for the new stadium, the spaces will be designed to accommodate services, a medical center, and interactive areas dedicated to supporters. When it comes to mobility, our experience built over the years comes into play: in every project we have developed, we have always placed great emphasis on accessibility and fan transportation. There are regular supporters, first-time visitors, and guests who may come from cultural events such as the Biennale and wish to attend a match. Our objective is to meet the needs of all of them. At the same time, the club has already made significant investments in the training center and does not rule out further improvements to enhance its quality even more.
We can count on something truly unique: Venice. There is no other city in the world with a comparable history, culture, and identity, from Carnival to the Venice Film Festival and many other excellences. It is a city capable of attracting people of all ages and backgrounds. We want to bring more and more young people closer to sport, both on and off the field. Venice possesses a richness and depth that are difficult to find elsewhere.”
Filippo Antonelli, Venezia FC Sporting Director and General Manager
“This club, in some ways, represents the very essence of the city of Venice. It is led by an ownership group that is passionate and deeply connected both to the club and to the local area, one that has supported the club’s growth to reach its current level, now further strengthened by the presence of Francesca Bodie and her father.
Thanks to tangible projects such as the training center and the new stadium, combined with a high-level sporting vision, the club can take another important step in its growth journey. As I often like to remind people, two years ago Venezia may have lost a division, but it never lost its direction. We demonstrated that throughout this season thanks to the unity and determination shown by supporters, players, and staff, proving that together we are stronger.
Venezia FC’s sporting project is ambitious, just like its ownership. To grow and achieve important goals, time is required, as well as the right balance between ambition and investment. Every investment will help make the club increasingly structured and solid. The objective is to build a competitive and stable team capable of establishing itself in the division and improving season after season. We want to create a team capable of surprising people, but my greatest desire today is to be here to stay.”
Andrea Rogg, Venezia FC Director of Operations
“Thanks to the awarding of the tender, we now have significant commercial spaces available within the new stadium. Part of the area will be dedicated to an experiential Venezia store, where visitors will not only be able to purchase merchandise but also immerse themselves in the club’s history. Another section will be devoted to hospitality and can be used even on non-matchdays. Overall, we are talking about approximately 3,600 square meters of activities that will remain open throughout the year. We are also highly committed to transportation issues and are evaluating discounted fares for those who live in the lagoon area. The goal is to allow supporters to reach the stadium and return home as easily as possible.
As for the concession process, there are no strict deadlines, but rather a series of administrative steps that need to be completed. Following the awarding of the tender, we are preparing the technical documentation that must be approved by the municipal offices and attached to the concession agreement. This is a public-private project in which Venezia has committed to making significant investments. We believe that within approximately one month, the necessary studies and documentation will be completed, allowing us to obtain the final concession and move into the operational phase of the stadium project. Thanks to the experience and relationships of Francesca and Tim, we are working with some of the best consultants and specialized firms in the industry.”
Nicola Boscaro, Venezia FC Chief Revenue Officer
“From a fan engagement perspective, our objective is to further improve all back-office activities and data analysis processes. We are introducing new tools that will enable us to gather increasingly precise information. We know we can rely on a fan base spread across the world, with particularly strong communities in the United States and Asia. In terms of engagement, we are working to develop even more targeted and practical strategies. Football remains our core business, while entertainment will represent an important complement. We want to create new opportunities for direct interaction and continuously expand our supporter community.
The objective we share with Francesca Bodie is to focus on what we can directly control. Regardless of the division, the focus is on the stadium, merchandising, and all areas of club development. Significant work has been carried out in recent years; now we must maximize its value both during the current season and over the long term through the new stadium. We want to introduce new premium experiences for those attending matches, starting already at the Penzo. We also intend to expand our retail network with new points of sale and further strengthen our e-commerce operations. Once the new stadium is fully operational, additional initiatives will emerge that will generate new revenue streams.”