KELLER Pressure will continue to be the majority shareholder and main sponsor of FC Winterthur for the next few years. Current Vice Chairman Mike Keller is taking up the vacant position of chairman of the Swiss Challenge League club. The aim is to strengthen FCW on a sustainable basis and expand its financial and sporting opportunities through locally based sponsors and officeholders.

Change of mind: Three years ago, Hannes W. Keller, as the owner of KELLER Pressure and Chairman and sole shareholder of FC Winterthur, made the decision to significantly reduce his involvement with FCW. A search for potential investors was subsequently launched and the chairmanship of the club was deliberately left vacant to make it easier for someone to take over the majority of shares.

After numerous and sometimes promising discussions with interested investors from all over the world, Hannes W. Keller’s sons, Tobias and Mike Keller, came to the conclusion that, for the time being, they did not want to sell the majority stake in the club to a single investor.

Faith in potential: For both new owners of KELLER, a pivotal reason for this change of mind was the realisation that selling FCW to non-local investors would cause a strategic and philosophical shift which would threaten to destroy the soul of the long-established club.

The Keller family and the current officeholders at the club believe in the potential of FC Winterthur and of the Winterthur region. Their view is reinforced by the good work being done at the club, the wide support from the local community, the club’s positive resonance and image and the excellent turnouts at Challenge League matches at the iconic Stadion Schützenwiese.

Looking for a local solution: With a forward-thinking strategy, the club owners would like to encourage local companies and individuals to get involved with FC Winterthur and join them in unlocking its potential – be that as sponsor, partner or on the board of directors.

Tobias and Mike Keller, who have taken over their father’s successful pressure measurement technology company on St. Gallerstrasse, consider their investments in FC Winterthur as part of a mutually beneficial cycle: “We earn our money here in the city of Winterthur, which offers us a good base, and now, by investing in FCW, we are giving the city and the community something back.”

Paving the way for success: The aim of the club managers is to secure a financial basis and stabile structures for FCW with new investors and to develop the club as sustainably as possible. With a wide network of support, the club’s dependence on KELLER would also be reduced. With the help of the business community, political actors and the city as stadium owners, as well as the support of the local people, the ultimate aim is to meet the financial and infrastructural requirements needed to enable promotion to the Super League. Until then, FCW intends to be one of the front runners in the Challenge League, develop young talent and assume its social responsibility for the local region.

Club management: In a bid to underpin the decision, current Vice Chairman Mike Keller has taken up the vacant position of Chairman of the Board of Directors. Roland Gnägi, previously a member of the Board of Directors, is Vice Chairman and deputy of the Board of Directors. Heinz Boksberger is also remaining on the Board of Directors as Chief Financial Officer, along with Max Fritschi as representative of the benefactor’s association. Andreas Mösli will continue to take charge of the operational running of the club as Managing Director, alongside Oliver Kaiser as Head of Sport. Together with Roland Gnägi as deputy, they form the management board of FC Winterthur which has grown from strength to strength as a business over the last few years.