Global Soccer Ventures LLC acquires Soccerex

Matthew Badrov07/07/2022 5:55 am06/07/2022

Image via Soccerex

Global Soccer Ventures LLC, portfolio company of Miami-based private equity firm DaGrosa Capital Partners LLC (“DCP”), has substantially acquired the assets of London-based Soccerex Ltd, the world’s largest organiser of football business conferences.

Founded by Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. DCP is comprised of experienced private equity professionals who have extensive expertise in the acquisition and management of companies across multiple industries. Global Soccer Ventures LLC is focused on making control and influential minority investments in sports-related assets located throughout the United States and Western Europe.

The company plans to relaunch the Soccerex brand from its new headquarters in Miami, Florida in order to have a more hands-on approach and help accelerate the growth of the company at a local, national and international level. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

As a result of this transaction, Global Soccer Ventures LLC plans to focus on rebuilding Soccerex’s operations and accelerating Soccerex’s presence in the United States, starting with Miami which was recently selected as one of the host cities in the U.S. for the World Cup in 2026. The company will continue organizing its annual conferences and looks forward to announcing those details soon. In addition, the company intends to further develop its media capabilities.

“The Soccerex brand has always served as a uniting force for the global football community. We intend to build on the company’s great reputation in order to drive the business to be better and more impactful than ever before,” Global Soccer Ventures Chairman Joseph DaGrosa Jr. said in a statement.

Joining the board of the new Soccerex will be renowned industry leaders including Lino DiCuollo, of LMI Advisory Services, LLC who is advising several football teams and new ownership group of prospective USL team, and Rafael de los Santos, who for the past 10 years has been deeply involved into the football industry.

In 2019, Rafael joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux as the Chief Revenue Officer and also served as the Chief Digital Officer for Real Madrid, C.F. Additionally, Pialy Aditya, entrepreneur and investor of multi-billion-dollar public corporations and startups, and Brigitte Loureiro, event consultant, strategist and producer, will also be joining the new Soccerex board.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.