BOLOGNA AND FANATICS CONSOLIDATE A LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP | OneFootball

Bologna Football Club 1909 and Fanatics, the platform recognised at the global leader for official sporting merchandising, have announced the renewal and significant expansion of their partnership, built on three years of constant growth and innovation at the service of the fans.

The new agreement reinforces Fanatics’ role as an official partner of the Club for ecommerce, for retail at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and for shops present in the city. The move will also give Fanatics new rights when it comes to licensing, design and production, as well as the management of the wholesale distribution and marketplace activities: an important step forward in the collaboration between the two organisations.

Since 2022, the year in which the partnership began, Bologna and Fanatics have witnessed incredible growth, with merchandising sales increasing six fold. This result is down to the enhancement of existing channels and also the opening of the new flagship store in the centre of Bologna. The retail evolution has come alongside sporting successes during the 2024/25 season, including our historic qualification for the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia win.

The positive performance continues in the current season as well: retail sales in stores have increased by 15%, while e-commerce has grown by 25% compared to last season, which had already marked the Club’s best-ever result in the retail sector.

Fanatics will continue to manage and develop the partnership from its Italian headquarters in Milan, uniting profound local competency with the global network of the agency, as they boast around 900 partners worldwide.

Stephen Dowling, President of International for Fanatics stated;  “ Bologna is one of the most promising clubs coming from Italian football in recent years, with a team that is capable of inviting an extraordinary passion in their fans. We’re eager to reinforce our collaboration and get even closer to the fans of the Club, through new rights, a wider offer of products and a retail and ecommerce experience that has a globa reach”. 

Christoph Winterling, Chief Revenues Officer of Bologna FC 1909, commented: “We’re extremely satisfied with the renewal of this partnership, founded on solid strategic bases that have led to a brilliant growth of the business. The working model shared with Fanatics and the strategy developed together allow us to constantly progress. A trend so significant confirms the solidity and value of this collaboration”.

Lorenzo Forte, CEO of Fanatics Italy, added: “The growth achieved together in the last three years is just the start. The extension of the partnership confirms our commitment to guaranteeing an excellent service for Bologna fans, in-store, online and wherever the team are represented. We’re ready to write the next chapter of this important collaboration with such a prestigious Club”.

Fanatics also continues to strengthen its presence in Italy, a rapidly expanding market for the company, which today works with numerous Serie A clubs and with the Italian Football Federation. With a growing team and increasingly robust operational capabilities, Fanatics reaffirms its commitment to delivering top-level retail and merchandising experiences to fans across the country.