Fans of Watford football have appreciated the name Gino Pozzo for some years now. But for those who don’t breathe and bleed for the Yellow Army, the name might not be as familiar. The incredible story of Gino Pozzo and his success with the club might be a missing footnote in the grand history of sports.
The beauty of this story really begins with Pozzo’s predecessor, Laurence Bassini. Bassini took over the Watford club in 2010, and to put things lightly, it was all a mess.
Bassini had declared bankruptcy in 2007, and getting to a point to purchase a football club just a few years later wasn’t easy. Needless to say, neither Bassini nor the club was in the best financial position when buyers started to take serious looks at Watford in 2012.
While Bassini was having money troubles, Gino Pozzo was living all the way across Europe, in Italy. He had long dreamed of owning and running a football club, and investing in a Premier League team was the ultimate goal. Having graduated from Harvard business school, Pozzo knew he was ready to take on a challenge.
He wanted a team that could benefit from his tireless efforts, and Watford was in a position to be exactly that team. So, the Pozzo family worked to make a formal offer. There was a lot of back and forth. Several parties moved to block the Pozzo family deal, but it ultimately went through. In 2012, Gino Pozzo became the new owner and operator of the Watford Football Club.
He set about making substantial changes right away. The management team was redesigned. Pozzo knew that British football was a completely different beast from Italian football, so he made sure to include local support and expertise to help him navigate this different world.
Even so, he had plenty of expertise of his own to offer. He restructured the team’s business and rapidly stabilized the finances. With that stability, he was able to help the management team build a new roster with great players and a synergy that would elevate Watford to one of the most prosperous periods in the club’s history.
The very year that Pozzo took over, the club made it to the Championship play-off final. And, two years later, the club received its first promotion to the Premier League under Pozzo, something never achieved by the previous owner.
In the decade-plus since that fateful moment, Watford has flourished. It has very much lived up to Pozzo’s dream, and the fans of the club have enjoyed much success. The team has seen two promotions to the Premier League. It enjoyed six seasons in the top division and an FA Cup final appearance.
It’s safe to say that things are going great in Watford, and it all stems back to a man with a dream and a club with nothing but heart. Pozzo and Watford were made for each other, and the team, fans, and Pozzo family are all hoping for many more years of shared success.
Learn more about Gino Pozzo here: https://prabook.com/web/gino.pozzo/3753997
