06 June 2024
23 November will be yet another day to remember for the Allianz Stadium, and this time football and Juventus... have nothing to do with it.
Juventus’ home, for the very first time, will open its doors for a non-football event: the ball will be oval, there will be 30 players on the pitch instead of 22, and in battle, in place of the Bianconeri's exploits, will be the Azzurri of Italian Rugby, ready for a high-profile encounter against three-time World Champions, the All Blacks.
Kicking off at 21:10, Gonzalo Quesada's Italy will face New Zealand in the third and final test-match of the Autumn Nations Series: a particulary special encounter because it will represent an unprecedented ‘première’ in our stadium, the result of an agreement signed between Juventus and the Italian Rugby Federation.
Francesco Calvo, Juventus' Managing Director Revenue & Football Development, said: “We are proud to have reached this agreement with the Italian Rugby Federation, which will allow the doors of the Allianz Stadium to be opened to non-football events for the first time. The Allianz Stadium was the first stadium to be owned by a club in Italy, but since its opening we have never stopped, following the technological evolution of the sector, which allows us, today, to open up to new opportunities and support the Federation in this important event.”
These are the words of Marzio Innocenti, President of the Italian Rugby Federation: “The All Blacks are an icon of international sport, as is Juventus. To be able to welcome them once again to our country and to be able to do so in the best sporting facility in Italy adds a new element to the Federation that we are building, day by day. I would like to thank Juventus for making this agreement possible by adapting the facility to our game and the local institutions, from the Region to the City Council, who have strongly supported the return of Italy to Turin. Italy versus the All Blacks at the Allianz Stadium will be an unforgettable event, not only for the rugby community, but for Italian sport as a whole.”
Great satisfaction was also expressed by various Turin and Piedmont institutions: the President of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, declared that “bringing the match between the Italian national team and the legendary New Zealand All Blacks to Turin and Piedmont means realising yet another great goal for our region. After the ATP Tennis Finals, which we intend to keep here even beyond 2025, stages of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France as well as the Final Eight of Basketball, our ‘licence’ for the organisation of international sports events now further enhanced by this oval ball spectacle, along with its fantastic fans. Together with the Federation, Juventus and the City of Turin, we believed in this project right from the start, which showcases top-level sport and makes our territory known all over the world”.
“Turin,” emphasised Mayor Stefano Lo Russo, “is increasingly confirming itself as the ideal venue for major international sporting events and we are very happy about that. Welcoming the All Blacks, a true powerhouse of world rugby and an icon of world sport, will be a great opportunity of visibility for the territory. The agreement between the Italian Rugby Federation and the Allianz Stadium in the autumn will bring these great rugby champions to our city, together with fans and supporters from all over the world, in a year that sees sport as a protagonist under the Mole with the Basketball Final Eight, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Nitto ATP Finals.”
So diarise the date: 23 November. Information on ticketing for Italy's matches in the Autumn Nations Series in November 2024 will be available soon on **Federugby.it**.
