What Is Going On At Venezia F.C.?
Why is there an influx of Americans suiting up for the Serie A newcomers?
If you are in the market for a new Venezia F.C. jersey then you are most likely well aware that something special is happening in Venice. Unfortunately for you and countless other supporters, these jerseys have been virtually sold out this entire season. The secret is out - these kits are fantastic. In fact the demand is so high that they are selling countless replica’s all over the internet.
But for a club that recently got promoted into the top level of Serie A - fashion isn’t their only focus. Instead staying in the first division/avoiding relegation is the name of the game for Venezia. So for this…the club is turning to another import in increasingly high-demand, the American player.
Venezia’s eccentric jersey’s are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strange past this club has endured. I could legitimately produce an entire episode on the oddities surrounding this club but for your sake, we will condense it & work our way up to present day.
First thing to know is that this club was establish in 1907 as “Venezia Foot Ball Club" For the next 80 years they would operate under this name until the club merged with Venetian mainland club, AC Mestre in 1987. It was at that time that the now famous orange-black-and-green came into existence. One would imagine that this merger would bring on sustained success, but it was quite the opposite for Venezia F.C.
It would take Venezia another 10 years to reach the top-flight of Italian football ending a 31 year draught. Over the next three seasons the club would be up-and-down & following the 01/02 campaign, Venezia would see its second relegation to Serie B in just three years. It was at this time that then club director Maurizio Zamparini would exit following the club’s relegation.
The same owner who purchased the team in 1987 (following the merger) grew unhappy with the club’s progress. The final straw was the city’s lack of progress in planning applications for a new stadium. Zamparini wouldn’t go quietly into the night instead it was quite the opposite. Quite infamous.
In one final vindictive move, Zamparini immediately signed 13 members of the squad left behind at Venezia including several stars such as Filippo Maniero, Daniel Andersson, Joachim Bjorklund, and Stefano Morrone. His move to Palermo left behind a fledgling club, one that could no longer stand unsupported.
At the end of the 2004/05 Serie B season, Venezia were relegated and fell into bankruptcy. After this the club was re-founded and admitted into Serie C2. That is the fourth division. The club would earned promotion to Serie C1 in the 2005/06 season & spend the next three seasons in the third tier, but Venezia would be declared bankrupt once again by the end of the 2008/09 season.
Do you see a trend here?
It got so bad that Venice was in danger of being a city without a football club.
But Venice’s mayor Massimo Cacciari would not allow that to happen, and he supervised the foundation of newer’/better’ club. This government backed Venezia F.C. would unsurprisingly last just two seasons in the third tier before going bankrupt for the third time in 10 years.
So this is when the American’s come in…and no…we have not gotten to Busio, Tessman, and De Vries yet. This is still five-to-six years off.
It wasn’t until 2015 that a group of American investors acquired the club out of bankruptcy. Venize would soon earn promotion to Serie B and even flirt with the possibilities of promotion into the top flight.
So now we reach 2020. In February of that year Venezia owner Duncan Niederauer reorganized the club, and took on the role of president. Now I am going to completely skip over COVID here. Keep in mind that at this point Venezia F.C. is in Serie B and in the 2020/2021 season, a resurgent Venezia finished fifth in Serie B, and thereby qualified for the promotion playoffs.
The club would advance to the playoff final where they would face Cittadella. Down a goal and down a man in the first half, Venezia's 10-man side fought valiantly into the second half. In the 93rd minute veteran striker Riccardo Bocalon struck an equalizer to secure Venezia's return to Serie A for the first time in 19 years.
Instead of the typical bus patrolling through the street in a parade procession, being Venice…the players took to the gondola’s. In the most unorthodox, yet quintessential Venetian way…the players celebrated on boat through the canals of their city.
![Venezia FC on Twitter: "The only way to celebrate. #ArancioNeroVerde 🟠⚫️🟢 https://t.co/YyqtwIRI53" / Twitter](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeaf19e7-e3cf-4e61-99ea-1000c324c198_2048x1366.jpeg "Venezia FC on Twitter: "The only way to celebrate. #ArancioNeroVerde 🟠⚫️🟢 https://t.co/YyqtwIRI53" / Twitter")
Now that you’ve met Duncan Niederauer you might have an idea why there are so many American players at Venezia. Well as of right now there are three. Meet Tanner Tessman, Gianluca Bussio, and the newest addition is a 19 year old MLS loanee from the Philadelphia Union, Jack De Vries.
For a club that just secured promotion into Italy’s premier division it certainly seems odd to sign three young Americans to compete with the likes of the Juventus, AC Milan, Roma, Inter, and other Italian giants. Or does it?
There seems to be a sense of optimism at Venezia. When asked about the jersey design, American Chief Marketing Officer, Ted Philipakos stated “We could have very easily continued to do what I think tons of relatively small clubs do: They just take what their technical supplier gives them, and they put their badge on it and ‘project done.’ You’re ready to go.”
Likewise Philipakos also acknowledged that something special is building in Venice. “There are people on our team that essentially pulled off a miracle,” “It’s only fitting because Venice itself is a miracle. None of this stuff is supposed to be here.”
Maybe for many Italian supporters elsewhere in Serie A these American owners, or three young players are also not supposed to be there. But in a city that has seen it’s 114-year-old club rise from Serie D to Serie A in the span of six seasons. A club that has survived a devastating tornado, three bankruptcies in 10 years and the infamous “heist” of half the team…for once maybe these Americans are welcome in Italian Football. Their success on the field wouldn’t certainly be the most mystifying thing we’ve seen in Venice.
For now they are here to stay, and I feel that there will be many more in the future making the jump.