Monaco United FC: what you need to know about the Principality’s new football club

A new era opens for Monaco’s football with the creation of Monaco United Football Club, an ambitious project led by legend Marco Simone and focused on women’s football excellence.

Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Méridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo, the sporting history of the Principality was enriched with a new chapter with the official launch of Monaco United Football Club. Here’s everything you need to know about this announcement.

A triumvirate of legends at the helm

Marco Simone, former AC Milan and AS Monaco icon, presides over this new footballing adventure. The Italian, European champion and Ligue 1 winner with AS Monaco in 2000, partners with Morris Pagniello, founder of Racing City Group, and Justin Davis, CEO of this organisation present across four continents.

“It’s such an important day, ninth of June. Today is a landmark for us because normally when people think of Monaco, they think of luxurious lifestyle and good life and luxury. Well, us three crazy guys, I think we got together and we complement each other,” explains Pagniello, former professional footballer turned global sports entrepreneur.

Women’s football at the heart of the project

The originality of Monaco United lies in its absolute priority: developing elite women’s football. The women’s team, the true “flagship of the project,” aims to reach D1 Arkéma (Women’s Ligue 1) within four years.

“I have been immersed in women’s football for almost two years and I have rediscovered things that personally, I want more in my career. Things that were a priority to rely on in this strength,” confides Marco Simone, who has immersed himself in women’s football over the past two years.

Valérie Gauvin, former French international present at the launch, welcomes the initiative: “I find that this project is a beautiful opportunity to develop women’s football and we need it again and again to progress.”

A complete and ambitious structure

The club deploys three strategic axes:

• The senior women’s team: absolute priority of the project
• The men’s team: composed of local and international talents
• The academy: training for young people aged 14 to 23, girls and boys

The headquarters is established at 74 Boulevard d’Italie in Monte Carlo, while the training base will be the Didier Deschamps Stadium in Cap-d’Ail, “at the foot of the mythical Louis II Stadium.”

An international investment

Justin Davis announces pharaonic ambitions: “We’re not simply building a football team, we’re building a football institution, one that is serious, sustainable, and built to last.”

Racing City Group, with its 28,000 affiliates worldwide and 12 international clubs, brings its expertise. “By 2028, we hope to have over 100,000 registered students affiliated under the Racing City big group brand,” projects Pagniello.

Prestigious ambassadors and institutional support

Adil Rami, 2018 World Cup champion, and Jérémy Ménez officially support the project. “When they told me about the project, Monaco, the ambitions… it took me maybe 15 seconds to say: ‘Wow, this is something enormous,'” testifies Rami.

The former Marseille defender doesn’t even rule out putting his boots back on: “I’m going to play for the team. Of course, I’m going to play matches from time to time.”

The presence of Thomas Brezzo, President of the National Council, at the launch demonstrates the institutional support given to the project. Marco Simone even presented him with a signed jersey in recognition of this presence.

Complementarity, not competition

Faced with questions about coexistence with AS Monaco, the leaders advocate harmony. “Our biggest rival today is ourselves. We have come to… We’ve just come to complement, not to compete,” assures Pagniello.

Marco Simone evokes the Milanese example: “I lived the great step of my life in Milano. And in Milano, there are two great clubs that exist in the same city, Milan and Inter, with the support of the same city. Beyond competition and antagonism in sporting competition, there is a relationship, collaboration, motivation on both sides to improve.”

Tight but realistic schedule

Despite a tight schedule, the club aims for a September 2025 start. “I don’t hope for anything at all. I act,” cuts Marco Simone with his usual determination.

The first recruits are expected soon, with a target of 30 to 50 players per team, recruited “in France, Italy, Spain, Latin America and Africa.”

Monaco United FC represents much more than a simple club: it’s the symbol of a Principality reinventing its relationship with football, with women’s football as the standard of excellence.