Roger Hampel
Photo Credit: Latina Calcio
In an innovative collaboration, Serie C team Latina Calcio 1932 has partnered with the innovative design brand Ezeta to launch their new home and away kits for the 24/25 season. Ezeta, known for its creative and bespoke designs for non-league teams in the Rome region, steps into the professional arena with this venture, blending mythology with modern aesthetics to create bold and beautiful shirts steeped in rich historical narratives. The designs draw inspiration from Greek mythology, particularly the tale of Ulysses and Circe from Homer's "The Odyssey”.
Roger Hampel, Founder of Football Business Journal, sat down with Latina Calcio's General Director, Biagio Corrente, to discuss the rebranding and marketing strategies behind this collaboration. The interview sheds light on the motivations for the rebranding, the marketing goals for the new logo, and the inspiration behind combining mythology with football. Corrente shares insights into the club's broader rebranding project, its partnership with Ezeta, and the anticipated impact on the club's visibility and fan engagement. Latina Calcio Rebranding Mythology
Photo Credit: Latina Calcio
Roger Hampel (Founder of Football Business Journal): What was the reason behind the rebranding and logo change for Latina Calcio 1932? What marketing goals does the club have for the new logo?
Biagio Corrente (General Director of Latina Calcio 1932): Usually, a logo is replaced in football due to a change in club ownership or to signal a club's rebirth. However, we wanted to break this paradigm as we do with many other aspects of our club's life, not fitting into either of these cases. The rebranding project should be seen on a broader scale and not just related to the logo; there's much more that we will communicate in the coming months as planned events unfold. For example, we recently signed a sponsorship agreement with "Amazing Thailand," a Thai government entity in Italy, which will feature on our Home kit. This will not just be a sponsorship but a real partnership with the aim of organizing tours, summer camps, and affiliations in Thailand, while also promoting Italian tourism to Thailand. In November, a delegation from our club and I will visit Thailand to meet with local sports, political, and business institutions to further this project.
So, there are ideas we've been working on for some time, looking at what happens outside our country. Lega Pro and other clubs have recently rebranded their logos, which is an unequivocal signal. The identity value of this operation and the potential marketing and merchandising revenues are significant for our club, and it would be unthinkable not to focus on this opportunity. We risk being limited and not fully exploiting the leverage that the "Football Phenomenon" offers, both nationally and internationally. There are the hardcore fans of every club to absolutely preserve, but also a fan base to intrigue and possibly make loyal to our colors. Considering all these aspects, our Marketing Department, together with the club's top management, decided to give the logo and brand a new look. There is a need to give more visibility to Latina as a city and as a team. We are extremely convinced that the new logo will bring a breath of fresh air to our project.
Photo Credit: Latina Calcio
Roger Hampel: Congratulations on the new kits! Thanks to them, many people abroad have heard about your club. What inspired the idea of combining mythology with football?
Biagio Corrente: In this case, the strong and I would say winning choice was the partnership with our Technical Sponsor, Ezeta. Again, we wanted to overturn the paradigm that the technical sponsor handles all the technical material, including the match kit. We signed a two-year agreement with Adidas, allowing us to have top-notch technical material and delegate Ezeta exclusively for the match kits of the first team, youth sector, football school, and academy. All our athletes will have a unique identity on the field, which is not a trivial matter. The graphic and visual choice was to pay homage to Latin origins and the Circeo promontory, taking inspiration from the tenth book of the Odyssey where Homer tells the story of the meeting between the hero of Ithaca and the daughter of the nymph Perseide. The protagonists of the story are Ulysses and the sorceress Circe.
Roger Hampel: Have you recorded a record number of website visits or a significant increase in interest in the club after the release of the new football kits?
Biagio Corrente: Absolutely yes. Saying that we expected it would be an understatement. We really went great, receiving significant views on our social channels. For a few hours, Latina Calcio was at the center of attention, and this make us happy. Immediately, we and our partner Ezeta received requests from all over the world. Significant numbers for a third-division club, even in pre-ordering the shirt. We will start the first deliveries in mid-August, both through our physical store and online on various global platforms. It’s really incredible. It fills us with pride and increasingly certifies that this is the path to follow without shortcuts.
Latina Calcio vs. AS Roma | Photo Credit: Latina Calcio
Roger Hampel: What impact has this had on the growing interest in the club on social media?
Biagio Corrente: It has been a particular but predictable phenomenon. We received significant approval outside our usual territory, while opinions and judgments among our fans and our city were very mixed. It's unthinkable to please everyone. But never as in this case, "no one is a prophet in their own land." Old sayings are rarely wrong. But we are confident that "Father Time" will set everything right. The field and sports results can certainly speed up the process.
Roger Hampel: Do you think you can start a new trend in sports marketing, that of references to mythology, like Venezia FC has started a trend in fashion in football marketing?
Biagio Corrente: This was exactly our original thought. We will try with all our strength. The initial feedback is very positive. We must not lower our guard and always be ready and reactive. There is much to do to make this happen, but I repeat, we are very confident and optimistic. I am proud of my marketing team. Truly a great job!
General Director Biagio Corrente and the Marketing Manager Francesco Terracciano | Photo Credit: Latina Calcio
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