Gianluca Vialli, ex-Italy and Chelsea FC footballer and co-founder, Tifosy
You’re involved in a new venture called Tifosy, what is it? Tifosy is a crowdfunding platform exclusively designed to help football clubs raise funds online for specific projects. We call it “fanfunding” as it leverages a club’s global fanbases. Our mission is to enable everyone to invest in football in a fair and transparent way.
Fans are the backbone of football and we want to give them the opportunity to support their club financially. Clubs have thousands and sometimes millions of passionate and loyal fans, who would love to be able to do their bit to help their club progress and make a real impact. We believe that football clubs who are willing to listen to their fans can realise amazing things.
Why Tifosy? I’ve been involved with football for many years. Now I’m 51 years old, I’ve got to a point where I feel it is my duty to find ways to make the sport of football better.
I first met Fausto Zanetton, the founder of Tifosy, at a talk at the London Business School and we struck up a friendship based on our mutual love of Italian football and interest in making the game better. When Fausto asked me to get involved with Tifosy, I was very willing to say yes, because I think this is a great cause and creates a win-win scenario.
Tifosy can help football – and football clubs – in two ways. Firstly, to make them financially sustainable and able to compete better on and off the field. Secondly, to strengthen the important relationship between clubs and fans. We don’t want fans to feel they’re simply clients, we want them to feel they have a relationship with their club – that they’re partners.
Connecting fans with their club – does that mean the target market is limited? Actually one of the things that has surprised us with the campaigns so far is how wide the message has spread and how many contributions have come from unlikely places. We launched a campaign for Portsmouth FC for which contributions came from 39 countries.
Of course, the majority always comes from the core of passionate club fans, but football fans care deeply about the game and will often choose to help out a club in need. Our most recent campaign is for the new club Parma Calcio 1913 which was forced to leave the top flight Serie A and accept a demotion to Serie D – the fourth level of Italian football.
It has already attracted support from more than 40 countries. It just shows how strong ties are in the global football family and how fans can be a force for good.
What are your goals for Tifosy? Our ambition is to be the number one global sports financing platform and we plan to get there in several stages.
Right now our focus is 100 per cent football and so far we’ve done rewards-based campaigns, where fans give cash in exchange for merchandise or experiences.
The next step will be offering financial products, such as equity and debt, to fund bigger projects and give fans and investors ownership and a return on investment.
Over time we plan to expand beyond our current European focus, and eventually move into other sports.
Of course we’ve set expectations for growth, but it’s important to stress we’re focused on quality, not just numbers; we believe in managed campaigns and delivering success, so we look for worthwhile projects of meaningful size for clubs with an honest, open, sustainable approach to development.
Vialli with then Portsmouth FC manager Andy Awford – a successful Tifosy campaign last year raised £270,000, which funded two Academy training pitches at Portsmouth
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Borghese Roma
Borghese is an Italian luxury skincare brand founded in 1957 by Princess Marcella Borghese. [more...]
Hydrafacial
Founded in 1997, Hydrafacial has grown to become one of the world’s leading skin health brands. [more...]
Gianluca Vialli, ex-Italy and Chelsea FC footballer and co-founder, Tifosy
You’re involved in a new venture called Tifosy, what is it? Tifosy is a crowdfunding platform exclusively designed to help football clubs raise funds online for specific projects. We call it “fanfunding” as it leverages a club’s global fanbases. Our mission is to enable everyone to invest in football in a fair and transparent way.
Fans are the backbone of football and we want to give them the opportunity to support their club financially. Clubs have thousands and sometimes millions of passionate and loyal fans, who would love to be able to do their bit to help their club progress and make a real impact. We believe that football clubs who are willing to listen to their fans can realise amazing things.
Why Tifosy? I’ve been involved with football for many years. Now I’m 51 years old, I’ve got to a point where I feel it is my duty to find ways to make the sport of football better.
I first met Fausto Zanetton, the founder of Tifosy, at a talk at the London Business School and we struck up a friendship based on our mutual love of Italian football and interest in making the game better. When Fausto asked me to get involved with Tifosy, I was very willing to say yes, because I think this is a great cause and creates a win-win scenario.
Tifosy can help football – and football clubs – in two ways. Firstly, to make them financially sustainable and able to compete better on and off the field. Secondly, to strengthen the important relationship between clubs and fans. We don’t want fans to feel they’re simply clients, we want them to feel they have a relationship with their club – that they’re partners.
Connecting fans with their club – does that mean the target market is limited? Actually one of the things that has surprised us with the campaigns so far is how wide the message has spread and how many contributions have come from unlikely places. We launched a campaign for Portsmouth FC for which contributions came from 39 countries.
Of course, the majority always comes from the core of passionate club fans, but football fans care deeply about the game and will often choose to help out a club in need. Our most recent campaign is for the new club Parma Calcio 1913 which was forced to leave the top flight Serie A and accept a demotion to Serie D – the fourth level of Italian football.
It has already attracted support from more than 40 countries. It just shows how strong ties are in the global football family and how fans can be a force for good.
What are your goals for Tifosy? Our ambition is to be the number one global sports financing platform and we plan to get there in several stages.
Right now our focus is 100 per cent football and so far we’ve done rewards-based campaigns, where fans give cash in exchange for merchandise or experiences.
The next step will be offering financial products, such as equity and debt, to fund bigger projects and give fans and investors ownership and a return on investment.
Over time we plan to expand beyond our current European focus, and eventually move into other sports.
Of course we’ve set expectations for growth, but it’s important to stress we’re focused on quality, not just numbers; we believe in managed campaigns and delivering success, so we look for worthwhile projects of meaningful size for clubs with an honest, open, sustainable approach to development.
Vialli with then Portsmouth FC manager Andy Awford – a successful Tifosy campaign last year raised £270,000, which funded two Academy training pitches at Portsmouth
Global Wellness Day (GWD) will mark its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Borghese Roma Borghese is an Italian luxury skincare brand founded in 1957 by Princess Marcella Borghese. [more...]
