Random thoughts about Juventuz and the future of Ultra groups (1 Viewer)

[Erkka]

Been a while Errks. Nice to see you back to your good avatar!

I never was gone you know. Search my posts if you don't believe me.

You guys are totally getting what I am talking about here.

The problem for a club like Juve is that the local crowd that can make the matches represents only a small fraction of the club's supporters at any given match. Which has a downside on club dependencies for attendance, a downside for fan participation, a downside for giving the team a morale boost during matches, etc. But with Juve it's not about a downside as much as there is a huge, untapped upside that can feasibly be connected more readily with the changes in global communications.

Maybe not all of that is solvable. But Juve has a huge, largely untapped resource in people like all of us... who wish we could attend every game but don't have the intercontental flight tickets to do it every week.

The thing is that nowadays only the hardocore and only few others bother to go to the stadium itself. Others just much rather watch it comfotably at their homes while lying on a sofa. To be honest I can't think of anything that could even be compared with going to the stadium, singing, jumping, defending your club's colours, your colours. Everything else is just bad substitute. What would an away game be without the travel and the excitment itself? The problem nowadays it's the modern technology itself, I don't want to take it any further. Your comparison to the ultras certainly is hilarious, and luckily not going to happen.

The best you can do to support your club is to pay for your license to watch Juve on TV, buy their official products and maybe even going there once in the while. The best that Juventuz could ever be is something like Bruxelles Bianconera, but that will never happen either.

 

Buy on AliExpress.com

[Geof]

juventuz is a meeting place for Juve fans, but not really a fan club.

A fan club should go to the stadium together, have contacts with other fan clubs, make banner, start actions, etc.

that's compatible with an internet site, a forum etc, but the main thing is ACTION. Something that doesn't exist here, and will never exist, IMO.

Don't understand it wrong, I'm not saying we're all pussies or wannabies, but we're just not a fan club. Can you see a juventuz.com banner besides the drughi, arditi, viking, nucleo,... That'll never happen

EDIT: Erkka mentioned Bruxelles Bianconera (aka BXL BN). You should have a look at their site; http://www.bruxellesjuve.be.tf/ .

These guys are a fanclub, they go to matches (home&away), while Brussels is something like 1200km for Turin. They do great things, for example it's them who convinced the city council of Brussels to make a memorial for Heysel '85 (RIP :down, and they also have a forum! lol
if you get to see matches, try to look for their banner, it's in the Curva Scirea, third level, next to the nucleo.

 

[mikhail]

Don't understand it wrong, I'm not saying we're all pussies or wannabies, but we're just not a fan club. Can you see a juventuz.com banner besides the drughi, arditi, viking, nucleo,... That'll never happen.

It will if we apply our photoshopping skills.

 

[Geof]

It will if we apply our photoshopping skills.

that was my point, we're virtual.

 

[mikhail]

that was my point, we're virtual.

Greg's point was that the world's going virtual. With declining attendances, one day we might be as real as it gets.

 

[Seven]

That day would suck.

 

[mikhail]

That day would suck.

Would it make any difference to us? Hey, let's get a Juventuz loudspeaker! We'll stick it in the ground, and set up some sort of web gizmo that lets us chant down it! :biggrin:

 

[Seven]

On another note I'm planning to go see Juventus-Lazio, but I'm having troubles getting there so far, so I'm going to have a hard time planning. Juventus-Udinese was great last year and making the pelgrimage to Turin isn't just to be recommended, it's necessary.

 

[Geof]

Would it make any difference to us?

yeah it would. I plan to go to Turin one day and attend the match. But I'll do it when there's a new stadium. This one is not worth it, I'm not die-hard enough to go freezing my balls in a freakin' empty, lousy and piss-stinking stadium;
But then again if someone offers me tickets to see Juve-Milan ...

You know what the Brugge supporters said when they came back from Turin? They told the press they never saw dirtier restrooms as the Delle Alpi ones.
How is this possible when you're supposed to be the biggest club in the world, or close to it?

 

[Vinman]

I thought about someone bringing in a Juventuz.com banner, and the surprise of actually seeing it on tv !!!

We'll have to talk to Paul about that......

Its a shame that we couldnt get some sort of partnership with one of the ultra groups or fan clubs (most of them probably dont speak english, either)

 

[Tifoso]

Actually, you'd be surprised, amico mio. Most of my younger Italian relatives speak English.

 

[Eddy]

I thought about someone bringing in a Juventuz.com banner, and the surprise of actually seeing it on tv !!!

We'll have to talk to Paul about that......

Its a shame that we couldnt get some sort of partnership with one of the ultra groups or fan clubs (most of them probably dont speak english, either)

sounds like a great idea

 

[swag]

Part of my message here, folks, is that despite how much you cannot recreate anything like the experience at the stadium, declining attendances are a reality for us now and for the future -- and not just a temporary fluke that's going to revert itself once Juve management buy out a nicer stadium instead of relying on the city, etc.

And to what mikhail writes, it's not inconceivable to imagine a future with only marginal attendances in the stadium with the vast majority far, far away and unable to attend. The recent closed-door matches of Roma and Inter can actually be a scary model for the extremes of what we might expect in the future. (I'm exaggerating... but after seeing some CL matches of ours over the last couple of years, I can't be so sure...)

And as with all things that are changing for the long term... You can fight it tooth-and-nail and be steamrolled over by it. Or you can embrace it and find a way to make it work for you. Juve, given the club's situation, needs to figure this out faster than the rest.

Oh, and great idea about the Juventuz.com banner. Also interesting to know that Paul thinks the real ultras (that emphasis is for you, Erkka ) have heard of us.

 

[swag]

On another note I'm planning to go see Juventus-Lazio, but I'm having troubles getting there so far, so I'm going to have a hard time planning. Juventus-Udinese was great last year and making the pelgrimage to Turin isn't just to be recommended, it's necessary.

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[Respaul]

Oh, and great idea about the Juventuz.com banner. Also interesting to know that Paul thinks the real ultras (that emphasis is for you, Erkka ) have heard of us.

I might have missed something or missunderstood what you wrote, but where did i ever say anything like that...

As for the idea of a banner on scirea, absolutely ridiculous to say the least

 

[Seven]

yeah it would. I plan to go to Turin one day and attend the match. But I'll do it when there's a new stadium. This one is not worth it, I'm not die-hard enough to go freezing my balls in a freakin' empty, lousy and piss-stinking stadium;
But then again if someone offers me tickets to see Juve-Milan ...

You know what the Brugge supporters said when they came back from Turin? They told the press they never saw dirtier restrooms as the Delle Alpi ones.
How is this possible when you're supposed to be the biggest club in the world, or close to it?

Actually the stadium is not that bad. Somehow it reminds me of the Koning Boudewijn-stadium in terms of atmosphere. About the restrooms, well, I've never been a real fan of public restrooms.

 

[Seven]

Truer words were never spoken.

Yes and that's why football stadia will never be empty. In Juve's case they probably should have built the stadium elsewhere. We're not Juventus Torino, we're simply Juventus. Our hometown isn't important. Perhaps we would have had bigger attendances in Sicilia or in Campania and IMO we should have moved.

Anyway I think attendances will grow bigger again. Serie A just needs to go through the same transition as the EPL. You should be able to go to a football game as a family activity.

 

[Bjerknes]

As for the idea of a banner on scirea, absolutely ridiculous to say the least

Juventuz.

 

[Geof]

I think there are two sides to be seen: tradition and a commercial part.

Commercially of course, clubs should (and do) try to take advantage of the new technologies. Today you can watch a live match from everywere you want. The local pub, your sofa, even your mobile phone I guess. And this technology will only be more efficient and even more widespread than it is now.
I guess it'll be possible to pay a few bucks via paypal and to watch a live match via the internet without having a costly sattelite etc. (or is that already possible?).

But on the other side there is the tradition. The chants, the banners, the flags, the flares, that incredible atmosphere when the players enter the pitch. That unique feeling of being with tens of thousands of fans gathered for the same 11 guys, down there on the pitch. A supporter behind his telly won't bring anything to that. Not even with his chants broadcasted around the stadium ( ). If people stop to go to stadiums, 1/3 of the fun of football will disappear. What is a stadium without fans? bloody creepy.

Clubs should do whatever there is in their power to bring back people to stadiums. Make it easier for them, the average supporter with his family, the Ultra, everybody. Give them parkings, confortable seats, a good view, a good sonorisation, restaurants,... and all that for a reasonable price.

The biggest problem is not the infrastructure or the price. Did anyone complain in the 60's or 70's, when stadiums were packed? I guess the stadiums were far more filthy in these days...
The problem is that people are lazy. Go into the cold on sunday afternoon to attend the match? nothanx, I'll stay home, with my friends, a mega flat screen, and my nice fridge full of beer.... that's sad, but its how or society evolves.

 

[swag]

I might have missed something or missunderstood what you wrote, but where did i ever say anything like that...

Second hand, sorry. FWIW, I lifted it from Vinni's post:
http://www.juventuz.com/forum/showpost.php?p=900305&postcount=39

I often wonder if the Ultra groups that are at every game know we exist (I have asked Paul, and he says yes)

As for the idea of a banner on scirea, absolutely ridiculous to say the least

But I like ridiculous.