According to news reports, Italian sports club owner Gino Pozzo is set to purchase Sabadell, a club with a similar history and ambition as the Watford team that Pozzo purchased previously. Gino Pozzo has a deep passion for sports and is involved in the day-to-day operations of Watford Football Club. He has been directly involved in the club’s signings and has proven his financial commitment to the team. He has also helped the club make significant changes to their expenses, which has helped the team become more attractive to potential investors. His level of daily involvement with Sabadell remains to be seen.
History
The Pozzo family is known for their passion for sports. They are a prominent Italian business family who have been involved in the sports industry since they purchased the Udinese Calcio football club in 1986. Despite a rough start, the Pozzo family has become one of the biggest club owners in Europe. With a portfolio that includes Granada FC, Grenada F.C., Udinese Calcio, Vicarage Road, and Watford Football Club, Gino Pozzo’s influence is evident at every level.
Gino Pozzo has been instrumental in the family’s international expansion of sports club ownership. He helped the family purchase Granada football club in 2009. The club was in financial trouble and needed to get out of the third division. He turned the team around in two years, transferring players between the different clubs that the Pozzo family owned. In the process, he created a new family dynasty.
Turning Watford Around
During the first season of Gino Pozzo’s tenure at Watford, he was able to achieve its promotion to the Premier League, which is the highest level of competition in the U.K. He also made an effort to re-strategize the squad, choosing to bring in former Chelsea midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic. His tactics proved to be popular with the fans.
In the second season, Pozzo and his family’s business model were again at work at Watford. In the summer of 2015, the Wall Street Journal named the Pozzo family “European Soccer’s Ascendant Family.” This is a title that they have held for several years now, and it has come with no small amount of success.
About Gino Pozzo
When Gino was a young child, he was inspired by the interests of both of his parents. When he was younger, he was a devoted fan of various Italian football clubs. His parents owned an Italian football team in the middle of the 1980s. They were able to afford this pricey purchase because of the wealth earned by their successful woodworking business.
Gino transferred to Harvard Business School in the U.S. When Gino Pozzo returned to his home in Italy, he realized he had no interest in inheriting the family’s woodworking business. He determined that he wanted to own and manage a professional football team similarly to his father. Notably, his father was able to save the first squad he had purchased and transform the team into a successful business, which inspired Gino. His father then acquired a second football team and also ensured its success. Gino was confident in his ability to execute the same level of accomplishment.
Eventually, Gino Pozzo traveled away from Italy in order to scout out potentially affordable football franchises. At this stage, his family had already built a lucrative appliance business, which also supported funding resources available to Gino. Gino had been searching for a certain type of club that met certain financial and other requirements and Watford met the criteria. Watford was consistently losing and battling a diminishing fan base. Additionally, Gino thought that the previous owners mishandled the company and felt that he could improve the team’s outlook. Gino Pozzo was well aware that Watford’s turnaround would take some time. Nonetheless, he was devoted to the long game. He and his family thought they had sufficient understanding of what was needed to lead Watford to victory.
Gino Pozzo’s engagement with the Watford club was always motivated by his passion for football, which may be the true secret to his success. His influence is not limited to administrative or financial responsibilities and decisions, but is pervasive throughout the club’s everyday activities.
With this latest news about Gino Pozzo purchasing Spanish football club Sabadell, fans are hopeful that similar results to Watford will play out on the field.
Read more about Gino Pozzo here: https://www.thefuturepositive.com/blog/gino-pozzo-owner-watford-football-club/