A cacophony of unrelenting chanting and singing - alongside a kaleidoscopic display of colour in the stands, accompanies football matches all across mainland Europe, in what, for many, represents a form of modern-day theatre.  

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The days of football clubs being supported largely by their local communities have long since gone. In the modern day, a football club can count on support from across the globe, with the fan base of a team having long since transcended what is seen in the stands on match day.

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Nowhere is this more evident than Italy. The country is inextricably linked with the beautiful game and has produced some of the greatest players to have graced a football pitch. One of its most famed clubs is Juventus. The Turin-based club have won more Serie A titles than any other club to date and have a devoted following that crosses not just national borders, but continents. 

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A significant majority - 93% - of the club’s support comes from outside Italy and how they retain and attract new support will help Juventus move forward after - amongst other factors, the ruinous impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on football.

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The decision to pursue a more sustainable business model - largely borne out of a financial necessity by no means unique to the club, has involved Juventus embracing a more agile approach to how it interacts with its current and future fan base. The fight to remain relevant in the modern world is a considerable challenge that is being embraced by the club’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Mike Armstrong.

Armstrong - who has been in his role at the club since September 2021, worked at global brands such as Kraft Foods, Budweiser and Google, as well as being the Director of Sports Marketing & Digital Innovation at CBC Sports.   

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One of the major developments from the Canadian’s time at the club is the Juventus Creator Lab. The internal media house - which accommodates designers, video makers, writers, influencers, streamers and social media creators, looks to create stories for every part of the Bianconeri ecosystem. 

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The variety of media produced by the lab ranges from original productions - such as Federico Chiesa: Back on Track on Amazon Prime, to snack content. The use of TikTok has allowed the club to launch the first football mini-series on the platform, as the emerging talent in Juventus’ second team takes the club to the Serie C Coppa Italia Final. It represented an immersive storytelling approach to match the changing tastes of younger generations.

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Armstrong believes that by embracing new platforms and ideas, Juventus - who in 2023 celebrate 100 years of club ownership by the Agnelli family, can provide transparency to their wide and varied fan base. It will ensure they continue to grow and remain relevant in a sport and society that has more options and demands for collective attention than ever before. 

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