She became a soccer legend in her playing days in the United States, and now she looks for a completely different challenge.
Mia Hamm, owner of two Player of the Year awards, has been nominated by Roma shareholders to the Board of Directors in the Italian capital. According to Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio’s website, she will be placed in charge of the Roma academies.
The club announced at a shareholder meeting that Hamm, former NHL player and Boston Bruins president Cam Neely, and former Disney board member Stanley Gold were elected to the board. They will replace outgoing members Thomas DiBenedetto, Claudio Fenucci, and New York lawyer Joe Tacopina.
Tacopina is leaving to become president of recently relegated side Bologna, and Fenucci will reportedly join him.
The increasing American presence at Roma is due to the recent club purchase by Boston-born investor James Palotta just over two years ago.
Hamm is one of - if not the most - decorated American women to play the game, most recently becoming the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame in Pachuca, Mexico. She picked up 275 caps and 158 goals for the United States over a 17-year career.
Meanwhile, Cam Neely also joins Hamm as former athletes on the board. A 9th overall pick in the 1983 draft, Neely played for the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins over a 13-year career. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. The 49-year-old was named Vice President of the Bruins in 2007, and then promoted to President in 2010, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2011.
That’s a lot of athletic success suddenly joining the board at Roma. Hopefully they use it well!
