Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos put all their star power behind Campobasso FCa football club that the couple co-owns and co-acquired in 2022.
The football team, which represents the small Italian town of Campobasso, has become a passion project, especially for 53-year-old Mark, who has flown to Italy several times to cheer on the team and help at their games.
Campobasso FC recently got promoted to Serie C and today they will play their first match in the new league at their home stadium against Arezzo. The Consuelos family will come together to support the club.
Kelly, 53, and Mark recruited their daughter Lola, 23, to help Show off some of the team’s new merchandise in collaboration with beverage company Liquid Death and head to the beach for a photoshoot.
Lola was photographed jumping into the water from a pier wearing green bikini bottoms and one of the team’s t-shirts.while Mark was also seen running in the sand, Baywatch Style, in a combination of t-shirt and shorts.
“Less than 24 hours until our first game…Forza Lupi! Brand new kits now available…link to order, bio and story…let’s go!!!!!” Photos from the beach day were captioned. Fans responded excitedly with comments like, “I mean THAT is an A+ marketing campaign” and, “I’m definitely grabbing one of these gems!!!”
InstagramJust like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney with Wrexham AFC and Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria and others with Angel City FC, Mark and Kelly were attracted to Campobasso’s underdog status as a lesser-known club, which led them to purchase a minority stake in 2022.
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“We fell in love with the Campobasso project and the history,” Mark told Forbes. “We literally built everything from scratch and worked with (majority owner Matt Rizzetta) and the North Sixth team to put together a roster, coaching staff and jerseys. We basically built everything in 72 hours so this city could keep its beloved soccer club and dream big again.”
The “Riverdale” actor, who has Italian roots on his mother’s side, added: “So many people can identify with this trip, whether they’re sports fans or not, whether they have Italian roots or whether they’ve even been to Italy before.”
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“We all have a part within us that, deep down, can identify with Campobasso and that can identify with this story of redemption,” he continued.
InstagramMatt Rizzetta, CEO of North Sixth Group, which owns a majority stake in the company, also told the publication: “We are really trying to put this club in the spotlight after it has long lived in the shadow of better-known cities like Rome and Naples.”
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Instagram“(Kelly and Mark) started their careers as underdogs, just like we start our journey in football as underdogs,” he said, adding: “Our vision is to build Campobasso 1919 into a very competitive football club. There is the potential to build something special for the fans.”
