Venezia FC & E1 Develop Sports Social Responsibility Partnership with Didier Drogba Foundation

Venice, Italy – May 3, 2024 - Venezia FC (VFC), the professional football club of Venice founded in 1907, and the UIM E1 World Championship, the world’s first electric powerboat racing series, announced a partnership with Team Drogba, backed by the Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba, Lilium Group, and Chiron Sports Group. The collaboration is a representation of a groundbreaking new sports entertainment initiative combining the passion of football with the innovation of electric racing, and the commitment of global icons. This partnership marks a pivotal moment in the realm of environmental advocacy and social responsibility.

Venezia FC’s mission is underpinned by a commitment to the preservation of Venice, environmental, community and social causes, including leveraging sport’s unique cultural power to serve as a vehicle for social impact and progress. In its inaugural season, E1 has identified four pillars for sustainability in sport: events and logistics, technology transfer, regenerative actions for urban coastal areas and city engagement. E1 represents a powerful convergence of sports, entertainment, and sustainability, highlighting the potential for collective action to address the most pressing challenges of our time.

Didier Drogba, through the Didier Drogba Foundation, is a champion of social causes and philanthropy who founded Team Drogba to shine a light on marine conservation through the social power and publicity of sports. Together, the partnership seeks to unite their respective stakeholders, including fans, public institutions, and corporate partners, for their joint goal of promoting sustainability across the sports ecosystem. At the heart of this collaboration is a shared vision to address the urgent challenges facing our oceans, from plastic pollution to climate change.

Didier Drogba explained: “I am thrilled to partner with a city and a team with ambitions as great as those of Venezia FC, both on and off the pitch. Together, we have an incredible opportunity to make a positive impact on the health of our waters and inspire meaningful change for future generations.”.

Duncan Niederauer, President of Venezia FC, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Team Drogba as a sustainability and cultural partner to our club. One of our core community objectives is to encourage more good business practices and shared sports partnerships that leverage the power of sports. We share and can continue to learn from Didier’s leadership in football and commitment to important global social causes.”

Venezia FC will be producing limited edition Team Drogba (“TD”) branded home kits for the May 5th match against Feralpisalo, donating a portion of the proceeds from these jersey sales to a charity via its partnership with CharityStars. The jersey will be available by the end of May on the CharityStars website: www.charitystars.com and details on the cause and availability will be highlighted on our social media channels in the coming weeks.

Team Drogba will compete in E1’s second race of its debut season, taking place in Venice on May 12th, displaying Venezia FC’s logo on the iconic RaceBird as a commitment to the city, team, and its cause.

For more information and updates on the partnership, follow Venezia Football Club, the UIM E1 World Championship, and Team Drogba on their respective social media channels.

About the UIM E1 World Championship

E1 is the world’s first and only all-electric race boat championship sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), which is the international governing body for all powerboating activities. The UIM E1 World Championship was established to create a new, exciting, and competitive on-water racing platform based on electric technologies to protect and restore our urban waters and coastal areas.

The championship will see nine teams and 18 mixed gender pilots racing on the water in iconic cities around the world, with the US due to host a race in Season 2. The E1 pilots will navigate tight and technical circuits behind the wheel of the electric E1 raceboats. For the latest news and updates, please follow us at @E1Series on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. #ChampionsOfTheWater

About Team Drogba

Team Drogba is one of the founding participants of the E1 World Championship, backed by Didier Drogba, President of the Didier Drogba Foundation, Lilium Group, and Chiron Sports Group. Team Drogba joined the E1 Series not only to compete but also to support a global, forward-thinking championship highlighting the importance of sustainability in marine life.

The Didier Drogba Foundation’s primary mission is to facilitate access to vulnerable populations' health and education and contribute to empowering them through resource mobilization, partnership development, and innovative projects.

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About Venezia FC

Founded in 1907, Venezia FC (VFC) is the professional football club of Venice, Italy. The iconic club is known for its focus on sporting excellence and integrity combined with its mission focused on social responsibility, culture, and the preservation of Venice. Located on the lagoon island of Sant’Elena, the historic club plays at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Italy’s second oldest stadium adjacent to the grounds of the Venice Biennale. For the majority of the club's history, VFC has ranked in Italy's top two divisions. One of the club's most significant achievements was winning the Coppa Italia in 1940-41. Following the union of the two Venetian teams of Venice and Mestre on June 26, 1987, the “arancio, nero, verde” team we know today was formed. Between the timeframe of 2015-2020, VFC was promoted from Serie D, to Serie C, to Serie B and then raised to Serie A in 2021, considered an amazing achievement. The team is currently in Serie B.

For additional information contact us at [email protected] or please visit, www.veneziafc.it. To purchase our merchandise, please visit our shop. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TwitterIT, TwitterEN,LinkedIn, Youtube, and TikTok.

Publicity Contacts:

E1 Nick Bailey, Head of Communications: [email protected]

Venezia FC Silvia Davi, [email protected]