The panel ‘Managing large venues for now and the future’ closed the first morning of the sixth edition of the Social Football Summit. The talk focused on the topic of stadiums and their role for the future of football, moderated by Ivan Ortenzi.
Patrik Meyer, stadium administrator of Eintracht Frankfurt, gave his view of the German reality: ‘With the 2006 World Cup we transformed almost all stadiums. It was a key factor in improving the experience for all fans. The beginning of the 2000s allowed us to complete a series of works, the World Cup helped us, as did the Women’s World Cup in 2011. The facilities, also through events, concerts, are essential to maximise profits’.
Andrea Santini, head of the Olympic Stadium and the Foro Italico Park for Sport and Health, described what is happening with the capital’s facility: ‘We are using technological options to integrate the fan experience. This year we are also learning with Roma and Lazio. I also confirm what Meyer said: it is essential to work with non-sporting events, which can also be useful for football clubs’.
Henk Markerink, Administrator of the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, finally explained: ‘Our stadiums are obviously profitable. In the last fifteen years we have invested more than 90 million on our stadium. The initial investment must not be too expensive, otherwise there can never be the right return.
‘Stadiums are the key to the future of football’: Ajax and Eintracht cases at SFS23
The topic of facilities closed the first morning of the sixth Social Football Summit 2023, bringing two important international experiences to the centre of the narrative
De Siervo (Lega Serie A): ‘Piracy takes 300 million away from Italian football’
The topic of piracy featured prominently on the Football Stage of the Social Football Summit 2023, also involving Liberatore (Agcom) and Amati (Almaviva)
Uva (UEFA): ‘We invested 82 million for the sustainability of Euro2024’
UEFA's Director of Social & Environmental Sustainability talked about how the continent's top football body will approach sustainability at the European Championships next June
EXTRA TIME: THE SOCIAL FOOTBALL SUMMIT’S START-UP COMPETITION
EXTRA TIME is the innovation program of the Social Football Summit, a startup competition that includes a scouting platform and a broader open innovation program. The EXTRA TIME challenge is open to teams and companies - innovative startups and SMEs - already established or to be established, residing in Italy and abroad. The goal of the call is to identify innovative proposals to apply to the football and sports industry in various areas: data and technology; fan experience; smart stadiums; gaming; wearables; youth skills
Interview with Massimo Tucci, Director of the Social Football Summit
For the few who still don't know it, what is the Social Football Summit? The SFS is the international event in Italy focused on the Football Industry organised by Social Media Soccer, Go Project's agency specialised in football and esports. Every year we invite over 130 national and international top speakers in Rome for 2 days to discuss and foster opportunities among stakeholders in the world of football. This all started in 2018 and in a short time we have achieved an