‘The future is female’: Claudia Rizzo flies flag for women in Italian football | OneFootball

“There are still some preconceptions because football has long been a man’s world,” says Claudia Rizzo, “but I think things are changing. Women can bring a different point of view, an added value even in this field.”

At 23, Rizzo has made history. In September the entrepreneur became president of Ternana Calcio, a Serie C club from Umbria, becoming the first woman in the club’s hundred-year history to hold the role. “It’s a huge responsibility, but also an opportunity to bring something different,” she says. “I want to prove that women can lead in football just as they do in any other field.”

Rizzo was born in Rome to Gian Luigi Rizzo and Laura Melis, part of a family well known in Italian business circles. Her father heads the Villa Claudia group, a private healthcare company that runs medical clinics in Rome and Syracuse. The family’s interests have gradually expanded from healthcare into sport and agriculture, sectors that intertwine in Claudia’s story.

“I started out as a small entrepreneur in the agricultural sector with my family, in Noto, Sicily,” she says. “At the same time, I began working in our family’s medical clinics, so my main fields were healthcare and agriculture. Football, though, has always been a real passion of mine as a fan. Then this opportunity came along, thanks to my family, and I decided to take it. At this age, I think it’s right to take chances and throw yourself into things; that’s how it was for me in agriculture too. You’re not born a farmer or an entrepreneur, you become one.”

The acquisition of Ternana by the Villa Claudia group was part of a wider plan involving the joint construction of a new Liberati Stadium and an adjacent private clinic, a combined investment worth about €80m (£70.2m). The project, designed to create a modern hub for sport and healthcare in Terni, has encountered bureaucratic, political and financial hurdles, but remains central to the group’s long-term vision for the city. The goal, Rizzo explains, is to root the club in the community. “Ternana is more than a football team,” she says. “It’s part of the city’s identity, and we want to give it stability and future strength.”

Although her family’s name looms large over the operation, Claudia is determined to establish herself as an independent president. “I’m learning how to manage the club almost fully,” she says. “It’s important for me to show that I’m not just here because of my family. I’m here to work, to learn, and to earn respect.”

Rizzo grew up surrounded by football. “I used to go to the stadium with my dad when I was little. When I was born, my father congratulated my mother not so much for giving birth, but because she did it on the same day his team [Juventus] won the Scudetto! So yes, I’ve grown up with football. It’s a fascinating world, full of emotions, sometimes good and sometimes tough, but always stimulating.”

Her arrival in Italian football came in a period of transition for the lower leagues, often shaken by financial and judicial troubles, with the Serie B club Juve Stabia last month placed under judicial administration for alleged criminal infiltration, according to the public prosecutor’s office. “It’s not the first time things like this have happened, and probably not the last,” she says. “Football is a business, and like in any business there can be problems. The only thing you can do is focus on your own work and avoid repeating others’ mistakes. We want to run things cleanly and transparently, and that’s what we’re doing at Ternana.”

Within the club’s structure, Rizzo works alongside Tiziana Pucci, the managing director and a trusted associate of Massimo Ferrero, the former Sampdoria owner. Ferrero is often seen around the stadium and training ground, although his role remains undefined.

Although Rizzo commutes daily between Rome and Terni, she has quickly bonded with the local community. “I’m still getting to know the city, but people are kind, welcoming and I feel comfortable here. A president shouldn’t be distant. The players must feel that there’s support and stability behind them. That sense of calm is vital, and I’m sure that with commitment and the right mindset we can have a good season and make everyone proud.”

She prefers modesty to grand promises but has a clear idea about how to build a future for Ternana, one that could revive the glory of the 1970s when the club reached Serie A under Corrado Viciani and became known for its “gioco corto”, a short-passing, possession-based style that presaged the Dutch and Spanish models.

“We have our target,” she says. “But for superstition I won’t say it. The academy is our future: young players need guidance, support, and the right environment to grow.”

Her words mirror her leadership: composed, practical but with a clear sense of belonging. “I see youth as a strength,” she says. “It allows you to bring fresh ideas and a modern approach. At Ternana, it’s important to build a bridge between the new and older generations while keeping the club’s identity alive. I want to do a good job here and meet the expectations of the fans, the team, and the staff. If this world continues to welcome me and if I prove myself, I’d love to see myself in 20 years still as a president, maybe even of another club. Who knows?”

She returns to the theme that opened the conversation, the one that defines her story in football and in Italy. “The key is to send a clear message: football isn’t just for men,” Rizzo says. “You don’t have to be a man to run a club or work in football management. The future is female, and little by little football will welcome more women who can give the game fresh energy and a positive push forward.”

Header image: [Photograph: Roberto Salomone/The Guardian]