Images: AC Milan
AC Milan has claimed a first among Europe’s leading football clubs by unveiling a new experience at the San Siro stadium offering pitch-level seats.
The Club 1899 Front Row Experience has been designed to resemble the exclusive courtside seating found at NBA basketball arenas. Positioned between the home and away teams’ benches, the new padded seats seek to offer a new perspective on a Milan match at the venue otherwise known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
The Club 1899 Front Row Experience offers high-end services, like a private concierge, personalised welcome and exclusive hospitality.
Maikel Oettle, chief commercial officer of AC Milan, said: “The Club 1899 Front Row Experience represents the sublimation of passion. For those who live with style and constantly seek excitement – who are always protagonists and not spectators – we want to share a new exclusive experience that combines entertainment, lifestyle culture, luxury, and innovation.
“Through the Front Row Experience, our club, an ambassador of Milan and Italy worldwide, reaffirms itself as the must-visit destination for football lovers and those seeking a ‘front row’ lifestyle. This is a unique experience that testifies to AC Milan’s innovative spirit and global icon role, capable of inspiring, exciting, and engaging millions of fans worldwide, every day.”
Milan’s ongoing efforts to enhance the San Siro experience come as work continues on a potential move away to a new stadium. Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of US private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners, in February reiterated Milan’s commitment to developing a new stadium away from the Meazza, adding he is keen to deliver the project through a company that could then assist other Serie A football clubs.
In August 2022, RedBird formally concluded its takeover of Milan touting its “track record” in sports stadium developments, and has since been attempting to drive forward plans for a new venue.
Earlier in February, Milan took another step towards developing a new stadium in the Municipality of San Donato Milanese after completing the acquisition of a package of land for the project. The land in the San Francesco area had been owned by SportLifeCity, which originally planned the development of a 20,000-seat arena at the site.
These plans changed when the Serie A club identified the site as its preferred location for a new stadium, with SportLifeCity now 90% controlled by Milan after being acquired in June. Milan essentially asked for a change in the structures being requested for development on the site and it has now secured full control of the land.
The Municipality of San Donato Milanese in January fired the starting gun on a “long and complex path” towards delivering a new 70,000-seat stadium for Milan, with the project clearing its first major bureaucratic hurdle.
The Municipal Council approved an initial proposal presented by the club in September, when it officially announced for the first time that it was pursuing a new stadium project away from the San Siro.
At the time, Milan said that it had “completed the first formal step”, in view of the potential future submission of a full project plan, by presenting to the Municipal Council an urban development proposal for the San Francesco area.
Along with the 70,000-seat stadium, the plans being driven by SportLifeCity also envision a hotel, catering facilities, offices, a club store and museum, a large plaza, auditorium and parking for 3,500 vehicles.
However, there has been opposition to the project. Indeed, a meeting of the Municipal Council yesterday (Thursday) rejected an urgent motion that had been brought forward to suspend the process relating to the new stadium.
Set out by two councillors, the motion reportedly only gained two votes in favour, with 14 against and seven abstentions.
Share this