The Archive

August 2024

AC Milan continue their quest to grow global footprint
15.8 || webmaster

AC Milan’s quest to connect with its massive global fanbase has been boosted by several exciting initiatives over the past 12 months.

Milan have been particularly keen to capitalise on the burgeoning North American market, where the club has a sizeable number of supporters in the United States and Canada.

Many of those fans already connect with each other online through activities such as live casino games, and the club has leveraged this to their advantage.

With that in mind, we look at some of the ways Milan has engaged with fans overseas, starting with their ongoing bid to develop new talent and fans.

Milan junior camps return to the US & Canada

The Milan Junior Camp project returned to the US and Canada this summer, giving the club the chance to enhance its connection with a key strategic market.

Camps have been staged in Kitchener, Ottawa and Toronto in Ontario, while Montreal and Quebec City have hosted sessions in Quebec.

Florida, New Jersey, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia hosted the camps in the US.

Children aged six to 16 can attend the camps which focus on ‘enhancing the potential of young participants through activities aimed at individual improvement’.

Milan and United States midfielder Christian Pulisic said: "Football is not just a game, but a vehicle for values that go beyond the field.

“Seeing how the passion for this sport has been growing more and more in North America in recent years makes me truly proud and is why I believe it is important to support initiatives like this.”

US data experts team up with Milan

Milan recently announced a new partnership with the Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), a leader in data and analytics in the sports and entertainment industry.

The Massachusetts-headquartered firm will help Milan gain a greater understanding of their fans to ‘create a new gold standard in European football’.

The partnership will strive to leverage data insights to optimise fan experiences and drive engagement through links with other major global brands.

KAGR’s first task was to garner information from Milan’s recent pre-season tour of the US with a view to growing the club’s already sizeable fanbase there.

Tania Moreno, Chief Marketing Officer of AC Milan, said: “This collaboration is an incredible opportunity for us to understand our global fanbase on a deeper level.

“By leveraging KAGR's expertise, we are poised to deliver unparalleled fan experiences while unlocking new revenue growth opportunities.”

Fanblock brings Milan fans closer together

A link-up between with digital specialists Fanblock is one of the most exciting new partnerships developed by Milan over the past year.

Fans worldwide have the opportunity to purchase Fanblocks on a digital platform. These are effectively blocks of Milan’s digital pitch.

They earn block points for real-time match events that happen on their Fanblock and are rewarded with prizes for engaging on the platform.

By inviting other people to the platform or challenging like-minded Milan fans, they can increase their ranking and make progress up the leaderboard.

The interactive nature of Fanblock gives fans ‘ownership’ of a portion of the San Siro, thus building their emotional connection to the iconic Serie A club.

Fans who choose the right blocks are rewarded for their knowledge and passion, making them feel even more enamoured with a club which is already close to their hearts.