When Roma announced in March, with pride, that their new stadium had been given a final blessing by the mayor or Rome, Lazio retorted with a bitter response. They sarcastically said that they were pleased about this as they should now be able to pursue their move to a new home the ‘Stadio Della L’Aquile but this response seemed show some envy not just to Roma but to the other forward-thinking teams in Serie A. Whilst Lazio are right to want to move forward, they should perhaps look closer to home and realise that they maybe already sitting on their brand.
On the announcement that the Giallorossi were ready to move on to pastures new in the 56,000 Stadio Della Roma, the L’Aquile issued a witty but petulant reply.
“Following the statements of Mayor Virginia Raggi and the representatives of AS Roma, SS Lazio notes with pleasure, that all the obstacles related to constraints of superintendence and hydro-geological constraints for the construction of Stadio della Roma have been overcome.”
The statement continued (tongue in cheek albeit), saying that Lazio and their many supporters are pleased because they were now satisfied that the authorities cared about Roman citizens, despite their football allegiances and realised that this gesture to Roma would also be replicated to Lazio.
The statement was brilliant, it had certainly sent a message after Roma’s stadium had been approved despite being on a flood plain. Lazio also suffer from turning to build on such a surface but their plans were denied and they have been trying since 2004 to get this passed. Now the Biancocelesti had certainly made their point and in fairness, it made sense.
The argument is still going on this month, with Lazio tweeting that they are still working to push this idea for the new ground through but there is an argument as to whether it is necessary. Whilst owning their own ground has the obvious benefits of match day merchandise, food and drink revenue and many other profitable avenues, they may not have to move. On the pitch, the squad is strong and have done well this campaign. Many would argue that the Stadio Olimpico is too big for them and in truth it is but there is a side argument. Look at the last games of the season against Sampdoria and Inter as despite not being full, the fans will still come out if the team is doing well.
The problem with Lazio is how they market themselves. Compare them to Roma, Inter, Milan and Juventus. Look at the website for a start, the poor layout makes it difficult it to buy tickets by sending you to listticket. Inter, for example and the rest, make this option easy and fluid. The social media is also none existent in comparison, Roma on the other hand are brilliant at this shown recently by the Wojciech Szczesny show, which was a brilliant way to show the real personality of the players. Juventus also conducted their Champions League campaign, bringing together the whole club, with their hashtags that embraced the modern way of interacting with your fans. Lazio are provincial so far with this but this simple tweak could bring more people to the Olimpico.
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is also iconic and homes two clubs with one trying desperately to move. The Nerazzurri have a superb following and if Milan moved they plan to make the stadium their own with the help of the local authorities. Better WIFI, better in stadium bars, restaurants, improved corporate and club shops have already been approved. Inter market themselves well and arguably do not have to move to be successful, just look at Udinese and the Friuli. This may not seem like a success story with the team but off the field it is.
Lazio, after all, are the team that symbolise the Olympics. Their colours of white and sky blue were inspired by the national emblem of Greece, this was chosen in recognition of the fact that the Ancient Olympic Games are linked to that country. Roma are the team of the city, that is simply a fact and Lazio are the politically aggressive team from the outer regions but this is madness. Lazio, in fact, sit on a beautifuI factplex in the Olympic park built for the 1960 Olympics. The Stadium is a symbol they could use, it could solely be theirs and that isn’t it. The surrounding hills allow you to overlook the fantastic tennis stadiums the diving pools, it's iconic. The branding is there for them yet they continually miss it but now maybe they have a chance.
It’s not easy to embrace modern football as many think it is simply money and business and to an extent it is. Lazio however, have a chance to embrace a new world with a marketing campaign that allows them to embrace sport and history simply by their location.
New stadiums can be fantastic but they often lose the soul and identity of a club. Lazio could move into this new era by cashing in on their surroundings and keeping their soul.
