Palermo-Manchester City was not just a friendly match, but an event that transcended the boundaries of football to become story, identity. The Anglo-Palermitan Trophy was the ideal opportunity to mark the start of the journey that will lead the Rosanero Club to celebrate its 125th anniversary on the 1st of November. But it was also an event that has already made history and will not be forgotten by those who were there.
34,665 fans practically sold out the Renzo Barbera Stadium, showing off their passion in front of the eyes of the world thanks to a high-level production with 7 international-quality cameras and 2 latest-generation drones. The friendly match was broadcast globally thanks to co-exclusive agreements with international broadcasters in over 60 countries, as well as worldwide access to the CITY+ and OneFootball platforms. In Italy alone, well over half a million users watched the match on Sky and DAZN (as well as OneFootball on pay-per-view).
This team effort brought over 140 people from Manchester to Palermo, including players, coaching staff and management. In addition, more than 300 Cityzens fans travelled from England.
Since the announcement of the Anglo-Palermitan Trophy, Palermo FC’s official social media channels alone have recorded over 80 million views and 3 million interactions: an extraordinary result that places the Rosanero Club among the top Italian football clubs in terms of exposure on digital channels.
The event was also covered by almost 250 media professionals, including media producers, content creators, community members and journalists, as well as some international publications such as The Times, The Sun, Daily Mail and some of the most influential names in world football, who were present at the stadium. Interest in the event generated over 1,200 articles and reports on the web, in print and on TV by Italian and foreign media outlets.
On the eve of the friendly match, the elegant setting of Villa Tasca hosted a special gala dinner, orchestrated by star chefs Antonio and Fabrizio Mellino, three Michelin stars, who brought together over 150 guests, including managers, executives from Manchester City and Palermo with their respective coaches, partners and stakeholders. The evening was enlivened by a musical performance with a Sicilian and international flavour by Roy Paci & Aretuska.
Match day included dozens of marketing activities dedicated to fans: from the challenge on the pitch organised by Title Partner Decò | Gruppo Arena, to ice cream stands in collaboration with Elenka, entertainment and themed face painting for children, mascots, photo booths and much more.
Between pre- and post-match, over 120 people were involved in special initiatives, including welcoming children to the changing rooms, warming up on the pitch, exclusive stadium tours, photos on the pitch with the players and exclusive meetings in the pullman area.
49 companies purchased promotional advertising space during the match and over 100 purchased corporate tickets for approximately 750 seats, with 5 different levels of hospitality.
The Anglo-Palermitan Trophy was also a unique opportunity to launch a special collection dedicated to the match, inaugurating four temporary corners located in different areas of the stadium. In total, approximately 2,000 products related to the event were sold, in addition to the launch of Palermo’s new away kit, presented by Javier Pastore during half-time at the Barbera stadium, ahead of all international sales channels.
The packed pre-match programme attracted over 28,000 fans to the stands an hour and a half before kick-off to enjoy a series of events within the event: above all, the spectacular performance by Rose Villain with a light show never before seen at the Barbera, and the iconic choreography with banners and flags, involving a total of over 150 technicians, directors, producers and operators. All this was accompanied by the extraordinary choreography of the Curva Nord, which paid tribute to the identity of Palermo and Manchester with a banner measuring over 1,400 square metres featuring Oasis and historic Palermo shirts.
In total, the event, organised in just 5 weeks, involved almost 1,000 professionals from dozens of specialist companies, all working towards a single vision shared by the Club and City Football Group: to put Palermo and Palermo FC at the centre of the world.