You may be forgiven if you didn't notice a special detail from the Serie A clash between Lazio and Inter on Monday night. Take a closer look at the Lazio numbering and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
The clash against Inter was the match in which the winners of Lazio’s ‘Scendi in campo con la Lazio’ competition – that’s 'Come on the pitch with Lazio' to any non-Italian speakers – got their moment of glory. The competition, announced back at the beginning of October, very simply invited fans to send in pictures of themselves, with the winning entries then being placed in a mosaic in the numbers that the players wore.
The move was a great way for the club to further connect with their already passionate fans; the biancocelesti literally walking out with their fans faces on their backs. Unfortunately it was not enough to inspire them to victory, Inter taking the three points with a resounding 0-3 win.
Despite the result, it was another nice initiative from the Lazio marketing department, following on from a few years ago when the they engaged supporters in a similar way by having season ticket holders’ names on the players’ shirts ahead of a Rome derby. Moves like this add another level of connection between fans and clubs, and it would be great to see more clubs taking a cue from Lazio's efforts.
