Retired New York Giants great Eli Manning is going from NFL football to a completely different kind of football.
Manning announced on Wednesday that he has joined the ownership group of NJ/NY Gotham FC, a women’s pro soccer team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Giants senior vice president Pete Guelli will also be joining Manning as part of Gotham FC’s ownership group.
Gotham FC is based in Harrison, NJ--just a few miles away from East Rutherford--where the two-time Super Bowl MVP Manning used to play for the Giants. The Athletic adds that Manning becomes the latest notable athlete to purchase a minority stake in Gotham FC. WNBA star Sue Bird did so last month, while women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd, and NBA star Kevin Durant (through his Thirty Five Ventures investment company) are part of their ownership group as well.
Now 41, Manning has become part of interesting business ventures since retiring from the NFL. He will aim for more success with a Gotham FC franchise that still few have heard of but that is quietly assembling a dream team of celebrity investors.
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