Venezia FC signed as Football Manager Official Partner

The deal, the studio’s first with an Italian club, will see Football Manager branding appear within the dugouts and interview backdrops at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium. Football Manager will also be represented with pitchside advertising shown off during Venezia’s home matches for the remainder of the 2022/23 season. 

Immediately recognisable by their fantastic kits and world-leading branding, Venezia FC are back in Serie B this season after playing in the Italian top-flight last season for the first time in 19 years. 

Through this new partnership, Venezia will appear as a fully licensed team in Football Manager 2023 from the next major update. Additionally, the agreement led to the creation of a special FM23 x Venezia limited edition (250) boxed kit including a copy of Football Manager 2023, which will be available to buy at shop.veneziafc.it.

Richard Trafford, Sports Interactive’s Head of Partnerships and Business Development, said: “It is with great pleasure we announce the partnership with Venezia FC. The clubs recent run of good form has been fantastic, and we hope for a strong second half of the season for our first partner in Italy. As a studio, we are honoured to be part of an establishment founded 115 years ago that is supported globally. Venezia FC is a forward-thinking football club, alongside a world-leading brand, and we are excited to work together on collaborations moving forward”.

“The partnership with Sports Interactive and FM23 transcends the concept of traditional partnership, enabling fans to get behind the scenes and closer to our club,” said Venezia FC business director Gianluca Santaniello. “We are honored to begin this journey with one of the greatest cult games on the planet, and we are very excited about the Christmas launch of a special-edition bundle and to see FM23 branding on the dugouts at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo soon, where gamers could dream to sit as real managers one day.”

About Venezia Football Club  

Football on water.

Venice's football club was originally founded as "Venezia Foot Ball Club" in 1907. After a merger with Venetian mainland club AC Mestre in 1987, the club's colors changed from the traditional neroverde (green-black) to the present-day arancioneroverde (orange-black-green).

Venezia FC's home stadium is Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, which is located on the island of Sant'Elena, adjacent to the grounds of the Venice Biennale. It is the second-oldest football stadium in Italy, after Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The club has spent a large part of its history in Italy's top two divisions. Its most significant achievement to date is winning the 1940/41 Coppa Italia. Venezia is competing in Serie A in the 2021/22 season, returning to the top flight for the first time in 19 years.