Catenaccio Feature: Forza Milan from Philly with brotherly love!
A feature on an AC Milan booster club is way overdue on Catenaccio, NA. I was lucky to connect with David Fante who runs the AC Milan club in Philadelphia.
1. How and when did you become a fan of Milan?
My love of soccer started with the 1990 World Cup. I followed the Italian National Team religiously that summer, and the player who most stood out for me was Paolo Maldini. Growing up, I had little to no access to club matches- so World Cup time was always very special to me. By the time Italy won the World Cup in 2006, club matches were easily accessible on Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV, so my love for Maldini and the national team heroes of 2006 (Pirlo, Gattuso, Inzaghi, Nesta) led me, naturally, to Milan.
2. How did Milan Club Philly club come about?
In the summer of 2012, Milan trained in Philadelphia. During their time here, I had the opportunity to meet Umberto Gandini who invited me to a training session at the Eagles’ training facility. In addition to meeting the entire team (one of the highlights of my life), I met other local supporters, including one of our club Senatori.
Previously hesitant about social media, I reluctantly joined Twitter to share my photos with the team and track their daily schedule while in Philadelphia. This opened up an entirely new world to me- I was able to connect with lots of great people who shared the same passion for the team, and who were eager to meet up with other supporters. The AC Milan Club of NY & NJ welcomed us into the Milan family from the start and did a great deal to get the word out and promote our fledgling club.
Our first meetup was for the Derby della Madonnina in October of 2012. Despite the loss, we had a good turnout, and continued to increase attendance with each consecutive meetup.
3. What activities do you hold (trips to games, to Milan, etc)?
Currently, our primary activities are meetups/viewing parties for matches. With the inconsistent television schedule and short notice for broadcasts, our meetup schedule is at the mercy of RAI and beIN. As such, we don’t meet up for every match, but typically one per month. We’ve gotten to know our core members (now friends) very well, and always welcome new supporters into the group.
For the past two summers, we’ve also organized tailgate meetups for Milan’s International Champions Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, NJ (2013 with the AC Milan Club of NY & NJ) and Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (2014).
4. Why should a Milan supporter in Philly join your club?
Why continue to watch games alone? With the popularity of the Premiere League and other top clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, it’s not always easy to find other soccer fans who appreciate the Italian game and AC Milan in particular. We’re a local, diverse, welcoming group of individuals who love the team and the sport. On top of that, we appreciate good food and drink! We typically meet up at Alla Spina- one of the better restaurants/bars in the city.
5. What are Milan Club Philly mid- and long-term strategies?
In the short term, we plan on continuing to reach out and meet up with local supporters in the hopes of growing our core group. Between university students and young professionals, there are lots of new people in Philadelphia each year- there are bound to be a few Rossoneri supporters in that group.
In addition we plan on reaching out to other local supporters groups for social, charity, and volunteer events.
Within the next year or two, we’ll be looking into becoming a formal supporters group, registered with the Associazione Italiana Milan Clubs (AIMC).
Further down the road, we have plans to organize annual trips to the San Siro. We look forward to hanging our banner alongside those of other Milan clubs from around Italy and the rest of the world!
Club Profile
Membership Fee: None at the moment (TBD upon AIMC registration)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MilanClubPhilly
Twitter: @MilanClubPhilly
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| International Club Championship tailgate in Pittsburgh (2014) |
1. How and when did you become a fan of Milan?
My love of soccer started with the 1990 World Cup. I followed the Italian National Team religiously that summer, and the player who most stood out for me was Paolo Maldini. Growing up, I had little to no access to club matches- so World Cup time was always very special to me. By the time Italy won the World Cup in 2006, club matches were easily accessible on Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV, so my love for Maldini and the national team heroes of 2006 (Pirlo, Gattuso, Inzaghi, Nesta) led me, naturally, to Milan.
2. How did Milan Club Philly club come about?
In the summer of 2012, Milan trained in Philadelphia. During their time here, I had the opportunity to meet Umberto Gandini who invited me to a training session at the Eagles’ training facility. In addition to meeting the entire team (one of the highlights of my life), I met other local supporters, including one of our club Senatori.
Previously hesitant about social media, I reluctantly joined Twitter to share my photos with the team and track their daily schedule while in Philadelphia. This opened up an entirely new world to me- I was able to connect with lots of great people who shared the same passion for the team, and who were eager to meet up with other supporters. The AC Milan Club of NY & NJ welcomed us into the Milan family from the start and did a great deal to get the word out and promote our fledgling club.
Our first meetup was for the Derby della Madonnina in October of 2012. Despite the loss, we had a good turnout, and continued to increase attendance with each consecutive meetup.
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| Milan Club Philly at the Clubhouse |
3. What activities do you hold (trips to games, to Milan, etc)?
Currently, our primary activities are meetups/viewing parties for matches. With the inconsistent television schedule and short notice for broadcasts, our meetup schedule is at the mercy of RAI and beIN. As such, we don’t meet up for every match, but typically one per month. We’ve gotten to know our core members (now friends) very well, and always welcome new supporters into the group.
For the past two summers, we’ve also organized tailgate meetups for Milan’s International Champions Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, NJ (2013 with the AC Milan Club of NY & NJ) and Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (2014).
4. Why should a Milan supporter in Philly join your club?
Why continue to watch games alone? With the popularity of the Premiere League and other top clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, it’s not always easy to find other soccer fans who appreciate the Italian game and AC Milan in particular. We’re a local, diverse, welcoming group of individuals who love the team and the sport. On top of that, we appreciate good food and drink! We typically meet up at Alla Spina- one of the better restaurants/bars in the city.
 |
| ICC tailgate with the AC Milan Club of NY & NJ (2013) |
5. What are Milan Club Philly mid- and long-term strategies?
In the short term, we plan on continuing to reach out and meet up with local supporters in the hopes of growing our core group. Between university students and young professionals, there are lots of new people in Philadelphia each year- there are bound to be a few Rossoneri supporters in that group.
In addition we plan on reaching out to other local supporters groups for social, charity, and volunteer events.
Within the next year or two, we’ll be looking into becoming a formal supporters group, registered with the Associazione Italiana Milan Clubs (AIMC).
Further down the road, we have plans to organize annual trips to the San Siro. We look forward to hanging our banner alongside those of other Milan clubs from around Italy and the rest of the world!
Club Profile
Membership Fee: None at the moment (TBD upon AIMC registration)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MilanClubPhilly
Twitter: @MilanClubPhilly
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