Founded in 1927, Associazione Sportiva (AS) Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, has played in the top tier of Italian football for nearly 90 years.
Playing at the famously hostile Stadio Olimpico – home of the 1990 World Cup final – the Giallorossi (yellow and reds) have won three Serie A titles alongside nine Coppa Italias and are a mainstay of Italian football. A true encapsulation of the ancient city they inhabit, the club’s badge features a she-wolf, which is an allusion to the founding myth of Rome.
Majority owned by the Friedkin Group, on April 13, 2021, Forbes valued Roma at $548 million (around £397 million), which placed it as the 17th most valuable club in the world.
AS Roma is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (MTA) and has the ticker name of ASR. This guide will explain how to invest in the club and the risks and rewards of doing so.
AS Roma is a Public Limited Company (PLC) – it is listed on the stock exchange, meaning buying shares is fairly straightforward. Simply follow the steps below to become a shareholder in Roma.
It has now been over 20 years since Roma last won the Scudetto (Serie A) with its last domestic league title being achieved in 2001 under the legendary captaincy of club legend Francesco Totti.
After a fairly mediocre period in the 1990s, the 2000s proved much more rewarding with Giallorossi also picking up two Coppa Italia trophies, and its first two Supercoppa Italiana titles. In its attempt to bring success back to the club, in 2021 the club appointed José Mourinho to become its new head coach.
However short-term success on the field should not be taken into account when it comes to investing. The key is to think longer-term. When it comes to investing, the share price of listed football clubs should in theory be driven by the same as any other share; future profit outlook, as well as supply and demand.
Having been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1999, along with Lazio and Juventus, Roma is one of only three quoted Italian clubs. In August last year the Friedkin Group announced the acquisition of the 86.6% majority stake in the club and launched a mandatory tender offer upon the publicly held ordinary shares, representing the remainder of the club’s share capital.
Take a look at Roma’s share price performance over the last three months on the graph below. It’s always important to remember past performance is no indication of future results.
If you’d prefer not to invest directly in Roma, you could invest in some of its sponsors or global partners. Football club sponsors provide funds directly to football clubs to buy new kit and equipment as well as travel to games.
If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. When it comes to football, the thought of watching an entire season with no fans in the stadiums would have been barely believable two years ago, but it happened.
While the long-term consequences of the coronavirus shutdown on football clubs is still uncertain, for investors when it comes to taking a stake in the world’s largest sports franchises, it is crucial to try and shut out the noise.
This means results on the field and recent scandals such as the ESL, should not overly influence your decision to buy or sell. This is something all investors should bear in mind when considering buying a share/s in a football club.
When looking at Roma’s history, it is hard to look past arguably the club’s greatest ever servant, Totti. Encapsulating the spirit of a Roman gladiator, in all Totti racked up 785 appearances for the Giallorossi over his 24 years at the club. The true definition of a one-club man, the World Cup winner scored 307 goals during this spell.
While boasting no major European honours in its trophy cabinet, Roma has long competed in the Champions League (and old European Cup) reaching the semi-finals in 1984 and 2018, both times losing out to Liverpool. Meanwhile in 2021 the club reached the semi-final of the Europa League, again missing out to English competition after losing to Manchester United,
While the thought of investing in Roma might seem a fun idea, it must be remembered these are not novelty shares, you are buying real shares in a real company. This can bring both risks – namely you won’t get all your money back – and rewards – namely you might make some money if you wish to sell your investment later.
However, like watching the beautiful game, investing in football franchises offers something unique and valuable for investors. It might not quite match a stoppage time winner to beat fierce city rivals Lazio, but for those willing to be patient, the rewards might prove to be just as exciting.
Interested in buying shares in another football club? Luckily Roma isn’t the only football team you can buy shares in – you can also buy shares in clubs such as Manchester United, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund amongst others. See the table below for all the current football clubs that you can buy shares in.
Note: not all football clubs are Public Limited Companies (PLC) and therefore you can’t buy and sell shares in them.
| Club | Country | League |
|---|---|---|
| Juventus | Italy | Serie A |
| Manchester United FC | Endland | Premier League |
| Rangers FC | Scotland | Scottish Premiership |
| Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Premiership |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | Bundesliga |
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