Former Rowdies president buys Italian team

TAMPA — Andrew Nestor, owner, president and general manager of the Tampa Bay Rowdies from 2008 through 2013, is part of a new ownership group that has purchased Bologna Football Club 1909 (Bologna FC) of the Italian football league.

Nestor's partners in the venture include Joey Saputo, owner of the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer, and Joe Tacopina, a New York City-based criminal attorney best known for representing RocNation Sports and Alex Rodriguez in his performance enhancing drug case with Major League Baseball. Working with Park Lane Sports Investment Bank, Nestor led financial, operational and diligence efforts for the ownership group and has been in Bologna overseeing an organizational transition.

Having won the Italian Lega Serie A Championship seven times, Bologna FC is one of the most famous and successful professional soccer teams in Italy and is currently in second place in Serie B, the second-highest division in the Italian football league system. A founding member of Serie A, Bologna FC was formed in 1909 and its home stadium is the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, a 38,279-seat stadium.

Since selling his majority interest in the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Nestor has co-founded and is a partner in CookShop Creative, which specializes in brand management and the development of consumer-facing technology platforms. Nestor is also the owner of Dig In Ventures, a personal investment vehicle for his portion of Bologna FC. Nestor still owns a minority of the Tampa Bay Rowdies as well.