MSFxLEGA SERIE A

TO DO
- Find research on information on giant screens in stadiums being more assimilated
- Figure out how to distribute the practices between Core Stadiums and all stadiums.
E.g. stands only in Core Stadiums – effectively communicate it, through a table?
-
Lega Serie A is Italy’s premier football league, showcasing annual competition among the
nation's top professional teams. Its stadiums, though not owned by the league, are either
leased from local municipalities (by the teams) or owned by the clubs themselves. These
iconic venues, spread across the country from Milan to Rome to Cagliari, come alive on
match nights, drawing an average of 30,911 passionate fans per game.
Lega Serie A campaigns for social responsibility through impactful initiatives. For instance,
the UNAR anti-racism campaign and #UNROSSOALLAVIOLENZA, combating domestic
violence on women. Serie A occasionally backs one-off campaigns, like the recent
“Emergenza Fame” initiative, where all teams joined forces to raise awareness and funds to
fight child hunger. The campaign encouraged fans to contribute via a dedicated donation
number, supported by promotional videos displayed on stadium screens and during pre-match
TV broadcasts.

Building on this legacy, a partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières, a global leader in
providing medical aid in crises, represents a natural evolution of Lega Serie A’s effort to
leverage football’s influence for the greater good. This collaboration could reinforce Lega
Serie A’s identity as a socially conscious organization committed to addressing global
humanitarian challenges. MSF could leverage on the extensive reach of football’s fan base,
representing 69% of Italy’s adult population, to achieve unparalleled visibility.
Engaging this audience through innovative fundraising and awareness campaigns presents a
unique opportunity to significantly enhance its impact and advance its mission of providing
critical medical assistance to those in crisis. Fan-led fundraising, especially when using
participatory approaches, leverages the power of social proof to create a powerful domino
effect. Fans, motivated by the actions of their peers, transform individual contributions into a
collective wave of support, magnifying the impact of shared causes.
Together, MSF and Lega Serie A can lead a powerful movement, proving that the love of the
game can extend far beyond the pitch to create lasting change.

2. CORPORATE FUNDRAISING

Lega Serie A can showcase its commitment and become an all-around partner of MSF by
actively contributing to the cause. We propose a dynamic fundraising initiative where Lega
Serie A donates €1,000 for every goal scored.
In the 2023/2024 season, Serie A games averaged 2.62 goals per match, for a total of 992
goals.
By connecting the donation amount to the in-game performance, this initiative brings MSF’s
mission to the most central moment of the game, “from the sidelines to the goal line”, as a
colorful football lingo says. When a goal is scored—a moment of peak excitement with the
potential to be widely replayed, shared, and even go viral—the live commentator can
announce to the people following at home that Serie A is donating €1,000 to MSF.
Simultaneously, a temporary banner can appear next to the score, reminding viewers of the
league’s commitment.
Quantitative Analysis of feasibility of investment
Furthermore, from a financial perspective an expected annual donation of around 992,000 is
feasible for Lega Serie A. With broadcasting and sponsorship revenues surpassing €1 billion
in recent years, if Lega Serie A commits 0.5% of its revenue (a reasonable and perhaps even
low benchmark), and around 25% of the CSR budget to the MSF partnership, then the
amount available would be 1.25M, giving ample room to finance also the other initiatives.

Additionally, this approach ties CSR activities directly to Lega Serie A's core product:
football matches. Research suggests a positive correlation between team success (thus scoring
a competitive amount) and fan loyalty, i.e. the motivation to watch exciting games live and,
thus, ticket demand (Gkorezis & Bellou, 2016).
This proposal goes beyond a simple donation—it's an opportunity to integrate social
responsibility into the fabric of Serie A's most celebrated moments, while making a consistent
and impactful contribution to MSF.

The second type of corporate fundraising will take the form of a lottery. At every game the
Seria A will have offer two signed soccer balls (one of each team). A few minutes before the
game, the big screen of the stadiums will show a short video about MSF (their actions, why
they’re needed), followed by the explanation of the lottery. Each spectator will be able to
scan a QR code (that will appear on the big screen) with their phones. This will bring them to
a secured page where they have to fill in basic information (name, age, email, select a team)
and pay a minimum of 2 euros (but spectators can give as much as they want) to enter the
lottery. At the bottom of the big screen the MSF logo and the participation QR code will be
shown throughout the game as a reminder. The lottery will end with the game and the two
winners are selected at random by an algorithm will be announced. A verification QR code
will be sent to their email with a collection point (in the stadium) for the ball.

This is likely to be very successful as the spectators will be motivated to participate due to
better odds than in a national, online, on tv lottery. They also get to leave with the ball so the
gain is immediate for the winner. Soccer fans can be very attached to a certain team and
would be willing to spend money to have a signed ball. Furthermore, the entry ticket is only 2
euros which is affordable for everyone and low enough for people to feel like it is worth
trying. And even if they do not win, they know their money went to a good cause (MSF) and
not to the enrichment of lottery companies - which is an additional motivation for some. The
video about MSF is also the opportunity to sensibilize large crowds to the actions of MSF and
motivate the participation.

Furthermore, the signing of the balls by the teams should not be an issue as for the Serie A to
agree to a partnership, all the teams need to agree so we would already have their approval.
The costs of implementing this would be low (setting up of the platform for the lottery and
the selection algorithm, lottery manager (gets the teams to signs, delivers the balls to winners)
and perhaps a judicial officer to confirm the validity of the random selection process).

We have selected 7 teams with the highest average attendance: Inter, Milan, Roma, Lazio,
Napoli, Juventus and Fiorentina. Each of this team will play 19 home games during a season,
with an average attendance of 53,500 people each game for these 7 clubs, we expect more
than 7 milion people attending during an entire season. By expecting a donation rate between
1% and 5%, during an entire season fans could donate between €140,000 and €700,000.

3. FACE-TO-FACE FUNDRAISING
Face-to-face fundraising during football matches is a practice that has already been
experimented with around Europe and with studies conducted on the Bundesliga. To begin
with, in-person donations (without any physical incentive as proposed by our previous
strategy) are significantly affected by two factors: is the fan’s team is winning and is the fan
supporting the home team. In both cases, the propensity to donate increases, which can be
seen as a threat to this classical method of donation gathering, due to the unpredictability of
the result.

The study analyses data from 10 years of donation gathering at the FC St.Pauli stadium and
the final average statistics amount to: per match with an attendance of 27155.42 fans,
€319.59 was gathered with the help of 17.14 volunteers. These donations were given to the
volunteer’s information booths scattered throughout the stadium. This data demonstrates that
while such a method of donation gathering in the context of football matches is
proven to be effective, its potential impact should not be overestimated.
Apart from fundraising, utilizing stands can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness
about the association and its mission. These stands provide an excellent opportunity to
engage directly with the public, fostering a deeper understanding of MSF’s purpose and
actions, allowing people to connect with the cause on a deeper level, encouraging recurring
donations. For instance, if during the match individuals donate for a lottery ticket (see supra),
they gain insight into how their contributions will be utilized, fostering a sense of trust and
transparency.
The stands will be placed outside the stadiums where food and beverage carts are positioned
and where most of the people will hang out before the match. This initiative aims to captivate
the attention of supporters as they await entry, transforming inactive moments into
opportunities for engagement.
Our focus will be on Italy's largest and most iconic stadiums, which we believe present the
highest potential for visibility and interaction. The selected venues include:
 Stadio Olimpico in Roma averaging last season 62,925 fans per game with
Roma, and 43,716 with Lazio
 San Siro in Milan averaging last season 72,838 fans per game with Inter,
and 71,251 with Milan
 Stadio Diego Armando Maradona averaging last season 46,977 fans per game
with Napoli
 Juventus Stadium in Torino averaging last season 39,575 fans per game with
Juventus
 Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence averaging last season 29,001 fans per game
with Fiorentina
 Average attendance: 53,500

These stadiums attract large crowds and host significant sporting events, making them ideal
locations for our stands.
To successfully install our stands in the areas surrounding these stadiums, we must secure
authorization from the respective municipalities. Given that these locations are owned by
local governments, obtaining the necessary permits is crucial. We will engage with municipal
authorities to ensure compliance with regulations and to facilitate a smooth installation
process.
In addition to establishing physical stands, we plan to enhance our outreach efforts by having
volunteers circulate throughout the stadium. This proactive approach will enable us to
connect with an even larger audience, ensuring that we reach those who may not visit the
stands but are still interested in learning more about MSF. By engaging with attendees as they
move around the venue, our volunteers can initiate conversations, distribute informative
materials, and answer any questions about our mission. This strategy not only broadens our
visibility but also reinforces our commitment to community engagement.

Bibliography

Gkorezis, P., Bellou, V., Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., & Tsiftsis, A. (2016). Linking
football team performance to fans’ work engagement and job performance: Test of a spillover
model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(4), 791–812.
https://pure.eur.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/47762141/REPUB_94109.pdf

https://stadiumdb.com/news/2024/06/
italy_serie_a_stadium_attendance_during_202324_season

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214804321001476?
casa_token=IcgCiQCaWCwAAAAA:1JF2NwNo-IbJsvTJzs1aRoMT7AylCU6M1vNyLo-
56dR0VQPLFKVMw7pu_-TRiXjQbVL8_4bqK5A
https://footystats.org/italy/serie-a/goals-scored-table#

https://www.calcioefinanza.it/2024/07/16/quante-persone-seguono-calcio-italia/
#:~:text=34%20milioni%20di%20italiani%20seguono,del%20progetto%20Beyond
%20Visual%20Attention

https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/fan-led-fundraising-how-sport-supporters-are-
financing-social-projects

https://www-statista-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/statistics/261213/european-soccer-
leagues-average-attendance/
https://www-statista-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/statistics/270301/best-attended-football-
stadiums-in-the-world-by-average-attendance-2010/
https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/italian-serie-a/attendances/all