DERBY: RECORD WORLDWIDE PASSION FOR THE ROSSONERI COLOURS

It was a record-setting Derby for the Rossoneri colours. The passion for AC Milan – who have now reached over 500 million fans throughout the world – generated a new wave of emotion that upped the bar in many regards in testament to the continuous growth of the Club and the brand throughout the world.

Let’s start with the spectators. It was, in fact, the game with the most fans present since crowds were welcomed back to Italian stadiums (56,608 spectators), with fans from 135 countries at the ground and over 150 countries watching from home.  These figures confirm the great desire of supporters to watch coach Pioli’s team live in person. Since the reopening on 29 August, San Siro has hosted over 300,000 fans. The Derby was made all the more emotional by the tifo before the game thanking those that fought for Italian citizens on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Casa Milan as well, which is always a top destination on the day of a big match, welcomed an above-average flow of fans. The Mondo Milan Museum – the interactive journey through the Club’s legendary history with its rare memorabilia and modern technology – registered more than 3,000 entries last weekend. On Sunday alone – matchday – 1,500 fans visited the museum (a 500% increase on a standard day). The same goes for the Casa Milan Bistrot, which is the project dedicated to flavour and wellbeing born from a collaboration with our partner Segafredo Zanetti.

Sales of official products and AC Milan’s new 21/22 collections also rose. There was a 130% increase in shirt sales at the Club’s store at its headquarters compared to a normal matchday, +90% in sales of scarves and a 92% increase in the sale of all products. This is also to do with the recently-announced collaboration with Sony Pictures for the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which also saw the launch of a new dedicated and unique capsule collection.

The emotions linked to the Derby extended throughout the world, connection fans who have found a meeting point for common passions in one of the thousands of AC Milan Clubs throughout the globe. This was exemplified in New York City where the Club hosted a free event at Jay-Z’s exclusive 40/40 Club in Manhattan – in partnership with Roc Nation and the AC Milan Milan Club NYC. The event, which had over 300 enthusiastic fans in attendance, was part of our new format titled “From Milan to Many: Watch Parties” and was dedicated to the Rossoneri’s large local fanbase. Supporters in NYC had the chance to follow the match in an exclusive setting, immersed in a special Rossoneri atmosphere.

These numbers and trends show great growth – emotional too – that is testimony to the strong and renewed appeal of AC Milan worldwide over the last 24 months. This is a result of on-pitch results – with Champions League football secured – but also of happenings outside the field of play. The Club’s clear global strategic vision and drive towards innovation is, in fact, developing the potential of the AC Milan brand in the world, ensuring the involvement of fans and generating new opportunities for partners.

To that end – in contrast to the trend throughout the pandemic – AC Milan signed 20 partnership deals in the last twelves months, including – among others – those with BMW, Gatorade, Lete, BitMex EXPO, Therabody and more. The Club, in 2021, launched the new Studios project for the production and sharing of content and, furthermore, is hitting the gas in terms of new media like TikTok or Twitch, as well as developing its eSports portfolio with the announcement of the new AQM team.

Confirming this affirmation of the brand in the world, AC Milan were also named this year the strongest Italian brand in the USA and China according to independent research published by YouGov, an international market research and analysis group.

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