Ownership
Mohamed Mansour
The British-Egyptian entrepreneur Mohamed Mansour jointly owns San Diego’s MLS club through his UK-based family office, Man Capital, which invests with impact and purpose across a range of sectors including education, technology, healthcare, logistics and clean energy, as well as soccer.
The firm has an established track record in soccer as the owner of Right to Dream, one of the most purpose-driven organizations in the sport. The Right to Dream community operates soccer academies, schools and professional teams in Denmark, Ghana and Egypt. A Right to Dream academy in San Diego will be an integral feature of the new venture.
Social impact, environmental investment, and nurturing the next generation have always been at the core of Mr. Mansour’s investment strategy.
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
The Sycuan Tribe are San Diego’s ancestral family, with over 12,000 years in the region of Southern California and Mexico.
As industry leaders in hospitality and entertainment, among other ventures, they own the top casino and resort destination in San Diego County.
They lead multiple award-winning community outreach programs which focus on youth development.
They have been major sponsors of professional sports in San Diego for over 30 years, including the MLB’s Padres and the NFL’s Chargers.
This venture makes history and breaks the glass ceiling as the first ever Native American ownership group in global football.
Manny Machado is a founding partner of San Diego FC.
Machado is a six-time MLB All-Star and current third baseman for the San Diego Padres. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2013.
In addition to being a feared hitter winning a Silver Slugger Award, he has also been recognized as one of the best fielders in the league, winning multiple Gold Glove Awards and a Platinum Glove Award.
Machado was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and now splits his time between Miami and San Diego with his wife, Yainee.
Brad Termini is a founding partner of San Diego FC.
Brad Termini co-founded Zephyr in 2006 with a commitment to enhancing communities in California. His focus on large scale developments that have massive positive impact in specific communities remains central to the company’s guiding ethos.
He is locally known in San Diego not only as a discerning real estate investor, but also as a person who can bring unlikely parties together to create partnerships and successful collaborations.
Through the Zephyr Foundation, Termini has been deeply involved in the communities in which Zephyr does business supporting homeless causes and youth organizations including Boys and Girls Club, Solana Beach School Foundation, Elmwood Franklin School and others. As a board member for Doors of Change, he has also brought great attention to the charitable organization that focuses on addressing youth homelessness in San Diego.
Tom Vernon is a founding partner of San Diego FC.
Right to Dream has always been a life mission for Tom. Since founding the organization in Ghana, Right to Dream has continued to grow with the acquisition of FC Nordsjælland transforming what’s possible in youth development at 1st team level, more recently the launch of Right to Dream Egypt and future expansion into the US.
Tom’s passion stems from his desire to provide young people, regardless of their background, with world class pathways and development into football and education. Believing there is a wealth of unrealized talent which needs to be exposed to the right pathways to thrive, Tom enjoys seeing students and players continue to flourish and realize their potential and excellence. This is something he has deep firsthand experience of, having lived in Ghana and Denmark alongside academy and club operations.
Tom Penn is a founding partner of San Diego FC.
A sports industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, Tom Penn is nationally known as a sports executive, entrepreneur, and television personality.
Previously, Penn co-founded Major League Soccer expansion team LAFC in 2014, serving as President and Co-Owner and spent 11 years as an NBA executive, including four seasons as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Assistant General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, and seven seasons as Assistant General Manager and legal counsel of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dan Dickinson is a founding partner of San Diego FC.
He is the CEO of the Right to Dream Group. He is a Co-founder and Executive Chairman at HCI Equity Partners, assisting in the oversight of the firm strategy, management company and LP relations while continuing as a board member of several legacy HCI investments.
Prior to joining HCI Equity, Mr. Dickinson was the Co-Head of Global M&A at Merrill Lynch. He also had roles as Head of European M&A and Head of Global Manufacturing and Services M&A at Merrill and started his career in the M&A Group at The First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse).