21 May 2017
It all began on 8 September 2011, the day Juventus Stadium opened in fine style. But the new era really kicked off a few days later with the club’s first competitive match at the ground, on 11 September.
Parma were the opposition on the opening day of the 2011/12 season and after 16 minutes Stephan Lichtsteiner scored Juventus’ first goal at their new home.
Stephan is one of a number of Juventus players who have won six Scudetti. Perhaps it was fate that another of the players who have won these six wonderful league titles found the net seven minutes from time, in the shape of Claudio Marchisio.
Since then the Bianconeri have turned Juventus Stadium into a near impenetrable fortress, consistently maintaining one of the most imposing home records in Europe’s top five leagues. Over six years they have won 96 out of their 114 matches, scoring a total of 253 goals and registering the incredible figure of 303 points at an average of 2.66 per game.
The fact that the Old Lady has won 25 consecutive league matches at the Stadium more than once is evidence enough of the mystical power of an arena that has known nothing but domestic dominance since its inauguration in September 2011.
A draw with Torino in the Derby della Mole two weeks ago may have brought an end to a 33-game winning streak stretching back to September 2015, but Juve remain unbeaten on home turf since the opening day of last season, scoring in every one of their 37 outings since.
Juventus Stadium’s success story however extends far beyond the white lines. The crowd have played a big part in the club’s recent success, proving they really are the 12th man.
ONE SELL-OUT AFTER ANOTHER
What were we saying about the 12th man? The crowd have always responded in fine style to the Bianconeri’s feats on the pitch. Last season, Juventus Stadium was sold out 24 times out of 25 in all competitions with 29,300 season tickets sold.
The Bianconeri have won the title in each of their six seasons at Juventus Stadium, sold out for 83% of their league fixtures in that time with 98% of the ground full on average (excluding the visiting section). Needless to say, the stadium is almost always full and rocking.
In other words, more than one million fans have attended games at Juventus Stadium in the past six years.
EVERY GAME’S A SHOW
We explained here just how much Juventus Stadium is the heartbeat of the show the Bianconeri put on every time they go out to play, detailing the movements of the impressive number of FANS, STEWARDS, CATERING STAFF and WORKERS to ensure a comprehensive spectacle.
Indeed, this season the magic has begun before the match even starts with a “Light Show” thanks to the club’s partnership with Philips Lighting Italia S.p.A.
A few statistics: 396 LED devices have been installed on the roof and the sponsors hoardings, 72 more than the previous facility. The system also guarantees a saving on consumption of 175 kW, not to mention the additional benefits of being able to adjust the lights. This benefit also applies to the 116 devices installed on the pillars and under the sponsors hoardings.
All of that was made possible thanks to the efforts of a group of people who dismantled and installed the floodlights before the opening match of the 2016/17 season at Juventus Stadium. This involved moving and laying 24,000kg of stainless steel before attaching the floodlights around the stadium with 14,200 screws and bolts and laying 33,116m of electric cables.
Whichever way you look at, we are talking about a truly unique place to watch football and, as it has turned out, witness history year after year. With the feats achieved on the pitch matched off it by those working tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain our home’s unique atmosphere, fans, players and Stadium have worked in perfect synergy to deliver a legendary six years of joy.
A sixth consecutive Scudetto trophy will be lifted to the Turin sky next weekend, an achievement befitting of the stadium that has been the scene of them all. Home sweet home.
