(Bloomberg) -- Mercury 13, an investment group targeting women’s football clubs, has reached its first deal, purchasing a controlling stake in FC Como Women in northern Italy.

Como Women, which is in seventh place in the country’s top division, plays in the region around Lake Como, known for jet-set visitors and residents like George Clooney and Richard Branson. The team plays in a stadium in Seregno, about 14 miles south of the lake, and draws an average crowd of 1,700 spectators per match.

The new owners are planning to tap into both the local community and the “millions of international tourists that visit Lake Como every year,” said Mercury 13’s founder, Victoire Cogevina Reynal.

Stefano Verga, who has led the team since 2020, will remain as president and shareholder, according to a statement Monday. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Mercury 13 is planning to build a stable of women’s clubs, in a bid to capitalize on the growing interest in the sport. The majority of women’s football teams in Europe are owned by men’s clubs, with attendances for matches ranging from several matches around 60,000 at Arsenal to little over 900 at Everton FC in the WSL in England.

Bloomberg News last year reported that Italian broadcasters bid only about 1% of the amount they paid to broadcast the men’s World Cup for the women’s equivalent.

Cogevina Reynal launched her firm last year, seeking to replicate in the women’s game the multiclub strategy that American investors have pursued in European men’s football. Those involved with Mercury 13 include Eniola Aluko, an ex-professional England footballer and broadcaster, sports industry consultant Michael Broughton and former FIFA executive Luis Vicente.

The acquisition of Como follows abortive takeover discussions Mercury 13 held last year with English club Lewes FC over a proposal to buy a controlling stake in that its women’s team. 

Among other recent deals for women’s clubs, Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang in December bought the London City Lionesses Club. Kang also holds a controlling stake in the women’s team of Olympique Lyonnais. 

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