Catenaccio Feature: it's up to Juve; New York, New York
In John Lennon in His Own Words, the former Beatle wrote "Today America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself".
Catenaccio stops in the city Lennon alluded to as the World's capital to feature one of the most present Italian soccer booster clubs on social media, JuventiNYC - the Juventus supporters club in New York City.
And how apropos, Juventus FC was recently featured in a video on the big screens of Times Square in a week-long celebration of Turin, Italy during the Year of Italian Culture, celebrated all over the United States.
Club president Cheryl was gracious to grant me an audience, and talked about JuventiNYC. Here's what she had to say:
1. How and when did you become a Juventus fan?
I grew up in Canada. Soccer was not terribly popular in the country at the time but in 1985, Canada qualified for the 1986 World Cup, which, of course I followed and supported my national side! As you know, Canada didn't fair very well in that tournament, however, this ignited my passion for the sport. When European domestic leagues resumed that fall, I began to follow and eventually support the bianconeri as I had friends in Toronto's Italian community who were ardent supporters so, Juventus was a natural choice.
2. How did JuventiNYC come about?
I decided to start JuventiNYC, the Juventus supporters club in New York, as I had been watching la Vecchia Signora on my own and realized that while there were local supporter groups for other teams like Real Madrid, nothing existed for Juventus supporters in Manhattan. I'd been watching games online and then at The Football Factory when it opened. The Football Factory is a dedicated soccer bar which plays host to many supporter clubs, and in 2011-12, Jack Kean (the bar's founder) encouraged me to start a Juventus group in "The City".
3. What activities do you hold?
We meet at The Football Factory to watch all of Juventus' matches. It's not always possible to catch all the action, with Champions League games taking place in the middle of the work day in New York. Sometimes due to their passion for Italian soccer, some fans have resorted to creative scheduling.
Some JuventiNYC members play in a league team. This summer, for the first time ever, we participated in the Downtown United Supporters Cup tournament, which raises money for children's soccer programs in Manhattan.
Lastly, and certainly not least, in 2012-13 I was invited by Juventus to fly to Turin and spend a weekend at the club. It was an unforgettable experience: not only did I witness the boys play right before my eyes in the jewel that is the Juventus Stadium, I was also lucky to attend the Christmas party for team sponsors.
In the summer of 2013, I was lucky to participate in a Google+ hangout this summer with Paul Pogba and three other North American Juventini.
4. Why should a Juventus supporter in Manhattan join JuventiNYC?
There are many fantastic supporters who are part of our group, who come from all over the globe. We are a welcoming bunch of ardent supporters! We also invite visiting Juventini to drop in to The Football Factory and watch games with us. We have Juventus fans from Italy, Denmark, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France, South Africa and other countries join us to watch the matches together.
5. What are JuventiNYC's mid- and long-term strategies?
To continue to expand our group and obtain the DOC recognition from Juventus FC. We'd also like to arrange trips to Italy to attend matches.
JuventuNYC Club Profile
Membership: Free at the moment, but that will likely change to a nominal fee once the club achieves DOC status
Website: www.meetup.com/Juventus-FC-NYC-Supporters-Club
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JuventiNYC
Twitter: @JuventiNYC
Catenaccio stops in the city Lennon alluded to as the World's capital to feature one of the most present Italian soccer booster clubs on social media, JuventiNYC - the Juventus supporters club in New York City.
And how apropos, Juventus FC was recently featured in a video on the big screens of Times Square in a week-long celebration of Turin, Italy during the Year of Italian Culture, celebrated all over the United States.
Club president Cheryl was gracious to grant me an audience, and talked about JuventiNYC. Here's what she had to say:
1. How and when did you become a Juventus fan?
I grew up in Canada. Soccer was not terribly popular in the country at the time but in 1985, Canada qualified for the 1986 World Cup, which, of course I followed and supported my national side! As you know, Canada didn't fair very well in that tournament, however, this ignited my passion for the sport. When European domestic leagues resumed that fall, I began to follow and eventually support the bianconeri as I had friends in Toronto's Italian community who were ardent supporters so, Juventus was a natural choice.
2. How did JuventiNYC come about?
I decided to start JuventiNYC, the Juventus supporters club in New York, as I had been watching la Vecchia Signora on my own and realized that while there were local supporter groups for other teams like Real Madrid, nothing existed for Juventus supporters in Manhattan. I'd been watching games online and then at The Football Factory when it opened. The Football Factory is a dedicated soccer bar which plays host to many supporter clubs, and in 2011-12, Jack Kean (the bar's founder) encouraged me to start a Juventus group in "The City".
 |
| Cheryl and other JuventiNYC members at the legendary Football Factory in New York City |
3. What activities do you hold?
We meet at The Football Factory to watch all of Juventus' matches. It's not always possible to catch all the action, with Champions League games taking place in the middle of the work day in New York. Sometimes due to their passion for Italian soccer, some fans have resorted to creative scheduling.
Some JuventiNYC members play in a league team. This summer, for the first time ever, we participated in the Downtown United Supporters Cup tournament, which raises money for children's soccer programs in Manhattan.
Lastly, and certainly not least, in 2012-13 I was invited by Juventus to fly to Turin and spend a weekend at the club. It was an unforgettable experience: not only did I witness the boys play right before my eyes in the jewel that is the Juventus Stadium, I was also lucky to attend the Christmas party for team sponsors.
 |
| JuventiNYC Club President Cheryl interviewed on the Juventus Stadium sidelines |
In the summer of 2013, I was lucky to participate in a Google+ hangout this summer with Paul Pogba and three other North American Juventini.
 |
| Some of the gentlemen who represented JuventiNYC at the Downtown United Supporters Cup in 2013 |
4. Why should a Juventus supporter in Manhattan join JuventiNYC?
There are many fantastic supporters who are part of our group, who come from all over the globe. We are a welcoming bunch of ardent supporters! We also invite visiting Juventini to drop in to The Football Factory and watch games with us. We have Juventus fans from Italy, Denmark, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France, South Africa and other countries join us to watch the matches together.
5. What are JuventiNYC's mid- and long-term strategies?
To continue to expand our group and obtain the DOC recognition from Juventus FC. We'd also like to arrange trips to Italy to attend matches.
JuventuNYC Club Profile
Membership: Free at the moment, but that will likely change to a nominal fee once the club achieves DOC status
Website: www.meetup.com/Juventus-FC-NYC-Supporters-Club
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JuventiNYC
Twitter: @JuventiNYC
Comments
Post a Comment