Mercury13 co founder Victoire Cogevina Reynal has announced her departure from the multi club ownership group, marking a significant shift in one of the most ambitious investment projects in women’s football.
Reynal helped establish Mercury13 in 2023 with a clear mission to accelerate the commercial growth of women’s football across Europe. The group quickly positioned itself as a bold new player in the sport’s evolving ownership landscape, pledging to invest more than 80 million pounds into acquiring and transforming women’s clubs around the world.
In 2024, Mercury13 secured a controlling stake in Italian top flight side Como Women, signaling its intent to build a multi club model focused exclusively on the women’s game. The strategy expanded in September 2025 when the group acquired a controlling interest in Bristol City Women, a move described at the time as pivotal for the club’s future.
The Bristol City deal was viewed as a major step for the Women’s Super League 2 side, offering financial backing and a long term development framework. Mercury13 had also previously attempted to take over Lewes FC Women, reinforcing its ambition to reshape the blueprint for ownership in women’s football.
In a statement shared on social media, Reynal confirmed that her chapter with Mercury13 had come to an end. She reflected on the founding mission of the company, which centered on unlocking the full commercial potential of European women’s football and demonstrating what could be achieved through innovation and long term belief.
Reynal, an American born London based entrepreneur and United Nations ambassador for gender equality in football, described her involvement in the project as a defining professional experience. She emphasized her belief that the women’s game is now in a stronger position following the group’s early investments.
Mercury13 has been jointly led by Reynal and business partner Mario Malave. The organization positioned itself as part of a broader wave of investors seeking to professionalize and globalize women’s football through structured ownership, enhanced marketing and data driven commercial strategies.
Her departure raises questions about the next phase of the group’s strategy and leadership direction, particularly as women’s football continues to attract record audiences, sponsorship deals and media attention. Multi club ownership models have become common in the men’s game, but applying that structure exclusively to women’s football remains relatively new.
With clubs like Bristol City Women and Como Women at the center of the project, attention now turns to how Mercury13 evolves and whether its long term vision for reshaping women’s football ownership remains intact.
