AS Roma launch new fan-inspired official website

The new site was designed and built based on feedback and ideas put forward by the club’s supporters. In a first for a professional sports team, Roma used Reddit, the social network news site and independent fan forums, to directly involve supporters in the development of the club’s new official website.

“This new website is an integral piece of our media platform strategy for the club. As a club we want to provide a platform to facilitate interactions and foster the creativity of our fans all across the world. This is an important step in creating the most connected club in football.”

- Jim Pallotta, AS Roma President

The club’s most creative fans, many of whom played an active role since the beginning of this process, have now been brought onboard to create content that will ultimately be consumed by Roma’s millions of supporters around the world.

The new site is already utilising some of these fans as photographers, graphic designers, writers and columnists and aims to provide further opportunities and training to allow supporters to develop and showcase their skills to a global audience.

“My mandate as Head of Digital at AS Roma is to provide an online destination that not only informs and entertains supporters but one that also serves as a platform for our fans to play an active role in creating and sharing content,” said Paul Rogers, who joined Roma from Premier League club Liverpool in January.

“Based on the feedback we received from fans, we have created a site that attempts to serve as a bridge between how people use social media and what they expect of an official club website. From a content perspective, this is much more than a football site. From food and drink to music, style, shopping and sightseeing, the site celebrates everything that makes Rome such a unique and aspirational city.”

To develop the new website, AS Roma partnered with Omnigon – a digital consulting firm that specialises in developing creative solutions for leaders in the sports, media and entertainment industries. Together they have created a one-stop destination for Roma fans around the world.

The new enhanced mobile-responsive website, available initially in Italian and English with other languages to follow in 2016, features:

A card-based content feed that helps fans consume content quickly on the go

A unique tagging system that allows users to surface the content that interests them

Roma TV+, a new video platform that gives fans extensive access to Roma videos

Enhanced in-game player and team statistics for every game powered by Corebine, Omnigon’s proprietary real-time data delivery network

Curated social feeds to make asroma.com a one-stop shop for everything connected to Roma

Additionally, the site features an all-new lifestyle travel section celebrating the best of Rome and its celebrated culture to be leveraged by residents, visiting fans and tourists alike.

“We are thrilled to have worked with AS Roma on the design and development of their new website,” said Igor Ulis, Omnigon’s Chief Executive Officer. “Early on in the process we understood how important it was to create a fully-immersive experience for the fans, one which would not only highlight on-pitch action and match commentary but would allow them to contribute to the overall Roma dialogue.

"We are excited to roll out this most compelling and informative experience to the millions of Roma supporters worldwide.”

The new website is the latest development in Roma’s overall media strategy that aims to position the club at the forefront of how sports teams engage with supporters – a strategy being driven from the very top of the club.