Dear Fans, Supporters, and Alumni of Olimpia Satu Mare Worldwide,
As we move into the new year, we want to take a moment to address all of you who have followed and supported Olimpia Satu Mare. We want to share an honest and detailed update about where we are, and the long-term vision we are working towards for this club.
We understand how deeply our community cares about Olimpia and that you expect a certain standard from us. This message is to help you understand the realities we’ve encountered as new investors and to provide transparency on what we are doing to rebuild the club.
The Realities of Olimpia Satu Mare:
When we first took on the Olimpia Satu Mare project, we knew we were stepping into a club with a rich history and a passionate fan base. However, we also quickly realized that we were starting from the ground up. Despite the love for the club and its proud legacy, there were numerous foundational issues that needed to be addressed before we could focus on competing at the level you expect.
These issues include:
Past financial debts: We inherited a significant financial burden that has required a great deal of effort to stabilize.
Lack of a dedicated training pitch: Currently, we do not have a proper training ground, and we are forced to rely on fields in Petin and Botiz, which require significant upgrades to meet professional standards.
Rising stadium rental costs: The cost of renting the Somesul Stadium has increased since our arrival, which has placed additional strain on our budget.
Legal issues with the logo and name: The club is involved in a lawsuit regarding the use of the Olimpia name and logo, which we are actively working to resolve.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives:
Having been in Romania for over a year now, we have gained valuable insight into the football landscape. One of the most important things we’ve learned is that many Romanian football clubs, especially in the lower divisions, rely heavily on local city government funding. While this may provide some short-term stability, it also makes clubs vulnerable—if the funding is reduced or pulled, the club can face significant financial difficulties, as we saw last season with CSM Victoria Carei, who had to restructure after their mayor pulled the funding and had to relegate into fourth division due to not having funds to compete in Liga III. It’s the harsh reality of the uncertainty of clubs in Romania.
With this in mind, we have adjusted our priorities. The main focus for us, as investors, is not immediate promotion or on-field success—it is to create a financially sustainable model for Olimpia. Our goal is to build a solid foundation that will allow the club to survive and eventually thrive. This means that results on the pitch, while important, cannot come at the expense of ensuring that we stabilize the club first.
Our main objectives moving forward are as follows:
Developing young players: We will not be pursuing big-name players on expensive contracts, as that simply isn't feasible at this stage. Instead, we are focused on identifying and nurturing young talent from the local region. This approach will allow us to build a team that is not only competitive but also self-sustaining in the long term.
Player placement and financial growth: SoccerViza, the primary and sole investment group behind Olimpia, has 15 years of experience in player scouting. Our strategy is to develop these young players and help place them in higher-level clubs where they can be transferred for financial gain, which will, in turn, benefit Olimpia.
Building a permanent home: One of our most important needs is to secure a permanent training facility. Currently, we are using fields in Petin and Botiz, but they require significant upgrades to meet the standards necessary for player development. We are grateful to the local mayors for their support, but we know that Olimpia needs its own dedicated training ground—a professional home that will be critical to developing our players and creating a long-term sustainable model for the club. We are looking forward to working with both towns to continue positive relationships and community enchantment.
Training Facilities and Costs:
At present, we are forced to rent synthetic fields in the area during the winter months. The total cost of renting local synthetic fields has been substantial—over 4,000 euros per month. These facilities are privately owned and are the only ones available to us, as the local Dinamo Synthetic Stadium has not given us access to training for political reasons.
This is a significant financial burden that we are managing as best as we can, but it underscores the challenges of not having our own facilities.
Junior Players:
The Romanian Football Federation mandates that every match feature at least three junior players (born in 2005 or younger) on the pitch for 90 minutes, with substitutions requiring another junior player to take their place. While this is a great rule for youth development, it means that our junior players, who attend school, can only train in the afternoons. However, most of the private fields we rent are already booked for other programs in the afternoon. This leaves us with very early training times, such as 7:00 AM, before the players go to school. This, of course, is not ideal, but it is a situation we have to adapt to, as many other clubs face similar challenges.
For example, the time constraints we face with juniors being in school make it nearly impossible for us to train later in the day. While we would ideally like to train at 9:00 AM or later, this is not possible because the juniors must attend school, and the synthetic fields we rent are unavailable after 15:00. This has required us to get creative with our schedule and train at times that would be challenging for many other clubs to adapt to.
Additionally, we, as the owners of Olimpia, have a full-time job running SoccerViza, which is the primary source of funding for the club. SoccerViza is what allows us to fund Olimpia, and without our involvement in SoccerViza, we would not be able to sustain the club financially. This is why our training schedule must also accommodate our responsibilities with SoccerViza. As a result, we are forced to conduct training sessions in the early hours of the morning, as we need to be available during the day to work on the SoccerViza business. Our schedule is built around the need to balance running Olimpia with securing the necessary funds to keep the club going.
Financial Challenges: Renting the Stadium
One of the most pressing financial issues we face is the cost of renting Somesul Stadium for matches. When we first arrived, the rental fee was approximately 1,800 euros per month, which included not only match days but also access for training everyday of the week, storage, and housing for players.
However, after several necessary upgrades to the facility, the cost has increased to over 2,000 euros per month. This is just for the use of the stadium on match days—no training included, no storage, or other uses are included in this price. The price only includes match-day rental.
In comparison, most of the other clubs in our division are not paying for stadium rental. Many clubs are funded directly by their local governments and use municipal stadiums for free. This creates a significant financial disparity, and we are working hard to balance these costs and find a way to make Olimpia self-sustaining.
Building for the Future:
While the financial strain is significant, we remain committed to our long-term vision. Our aim is to build Olimpia into a club that can not only compete on the pitch but also stand strong as a financially stable and self-sustaining entity. We know that this process takes time, and we ask for your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges.
We are investing our own funds into the club, but we cannot expect to make significant progress without a solid financial model. The goal is to create a club that can generate revenue through smart player development, sponsorships, and a sustainable business model—one that will continue to grow and succeed for years to come.
International Sponsors and Investors:
As we move forward, we are also focusing on securing international sponsors and investors to support the club’s growth. SoccerViza has built a strong reputation in the player scouting industry over the past 15 years, and our approach has gained attention from investors and sponsors globally. We are using social media to document and share our journey, which has helped attract interest and funding for the project.
The road ahead is not easy, but we are committed to working every day to build something special. We are not here for quick results—we are here to lay the groundwork for a successful and sustainable future for Olimpia Satu Mare.
Thank You:
We want to thank all of you who have supported Olimpia through this difficult time. We know that you are eager to see success on the pitch, and we share that desire. But our ultimate goal is to create a foundation that will allow us to succeed consistently in the future. We are committed to developing young, talented players, stabilizing the club financially, and building a structure that will ensure Olimpia is a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and your unwavering support.
Here’s to a successful 2025 and beyond.
Sincerely,
Giuseppe Funicello, Head Cooach and Owner
Cecilia Lihv, Club President and Owner
Sergiu Tabacaru, Director
Watch our latest video: Breaking down the costs of running Olimpia Satu Mare:
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