Allianz Stadium Hosted Two Days of Strategic Meetings, Featuring League Assemblies, Top International Executives, Alessandro Del Piero, and Leading European Clubs—Generating Over 6 Million Digital Interactions. The SFS Awards 2026 at the Reggia di Venaria Honored Napoli, Inter, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Fabrizio Romano, and Leaders Across the Sports Business Landscape.
The ninth edition of the Social Football Summit (SFS), the primary international event in Italy dedicated to the football industry and sports business, concluded with outstanding results following its second consecutive year hosted at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
The event recorded over 4,000 attendees, featured more than 200 Italian and international speakers, and accredited over 150 journalists, confirming its position as a central platform uniting institutions, clubs, corporations, media, and industry professionals around the primary economic, technological, and strategic challenges facing football.
Adding to these results was the event's extraordinary digital reach, generating over 6 million social media interactions across the two days—demonstrating engagement that extended far beyond the Allianz Stadium to reach the global football and sports business community.
Serie A and Serie B League Assemblies: SFS at the Core of Italian Football
The 2026 edition marked a landmark institutional milestone. For the first time in the event's history, the Allianz Stadium hosted the Assemblies of Club Presidents from both Lega Calcio Serie A and Lega Serie B, positioning SFS as a primary meeting ground for key decision-makers in Italian professional football governance.
Lega Calcio Serie A, Global Partner of the Summit, also conducted its closed working commissions covering CFO & Finance, Marketing & Commercial, Digital, and CSR. These sessions ran alongside the institutional and operational meetings of Lega Serie B.
This achievement reinforces SFS not only as a venue for industry analysis, but as an actionable platform for networking and collaboration among those driving strategic decisions across the sector.
World Football Leaders and Major Sports Figures
The stages of SFS 26 featured prominent figures from international sports governance, including Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, and Michele Uva, UEFA Executive Director for EURO 2032 Italy.
Joining them were the leaders of Italian football governance: Ezio Maria Simonelli, President of Lega Calcio Serie A; Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Lega Calcio Serie A; and Paolo Bedin, President of Lega Serie B. Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, also participated during a week when Turin hosted the ATP Finals, offering a valuable opportunity to compare growth models across major sporting disciplines.
Among the summit's highlight moments was the appearance of Alessandro Del Piero, who joined TikTok for a session exploring the evolution of sports storytelling, the relationship between icons and fans, and emerging formats in digital communication.
The event's international footprint was further strengthened by executives and club representatives from Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Betis, Sevilla FC, Anderlecht, SC Braga, and Deportivo La Coruña, alongside leaders from leagues, federations, and sports organizations worldwide.
Extensive National and International Media Coverage
The ninth edition confirmed SFS's growing centrality within sports and financial media. Over 150 accredited journalists representing major news outlets, television networks, press agencies, and digital platforms covered the two-day event at the Allianz Stadium.
Domestic media coverage included extensive reporting by Sky Sport (longstanding Media Partner of SFS), Sport Mediaset, Rai, and Sportitalia, alongside leading national dailies such as La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport, and Corriere della Sera.
International media presence was equally strong, featuring sports and business communicators from across Europe, including BBC Sport, MARCA, and RMC Sport, alongside journalists from France, Germany, and other key markets.
The presence of top international football executives, the keynote address by Alessandro Del Piero, and the award presented to Fabrizio Romano, one of the world's most-followed sports journalists, amplified the event's visibility across digital channels and sports communication networks. Generating over 6 million social interactions in two days, SFS 26 proved its capacity to drive conversations well beyond physical attendance, reaching a global audience of fans and industry professionals.
Innovation, Business, and New Opportunities for the Sports Industry
Alongside its institutional and media impact, SFS 26 consolidated its role as a platform for corporate networking and commercial development.
The Summit convened international leaders across technology, consulting, marketing, and media, including Salesforce, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Adobe, Almaviva, TikTok, YouTube, Volkswagen, Haier, and Panini, working directly alongside clubs, leagues, federations, and sports institutions.
Panel discussions centered on modern sports infrastructure, artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital transformation, fan engagement, commercial strategy, and corporate sustainability. On sustainability, SFS renewed its partnership with Ecoevents to support the sustainable management of the summit in alignment with ISO 20121 standards.
MOMENTUM and SFS ExtraTime: Women’s Sport and Startups in the Spotlight
Significant focus was directed toward the expansion of women's sports through MOMENTUM – The Business of Women’s Sport, a dedicated format gathering representatives from major sports organizations to evaluate the economic, commercial, and communication outlook for the sector. Featured speakers included Federica Cappelletti, President of Serie A Women, alongside national and international sports executives.
Emerging technologies took center stage during SFS ExtraTime, the startup competition that crowned UMO Health as its winner—a startup developing neuroscience-based solutions and neuromuscular analytics for athletic performance and trauma prevention.
SFS Awards 2026: Honoring Global Football Excellence at the Reggia di Venaria
One of the most prestigious moments of the ninth edition was the SFS Awards 2026 ceremony, held on November 10 within the UNESCO World Heritage venue of the Reggia di Venaria, attended by over 400 executives, managers, partners, and international sports figures.
The gala honored 14 leaders across football and sports business, recognizing innovation, creative direction, leadership, communication, sustainability, and value creation:
- Fabrizio Romano – Best Content Creator
- SSC Napoli – Best Content Strategy (for the "Napoli 100 – Centenary" project)
- FC Internazionale Milano – Best Format and Football Community (for the "Solo Noi" project)
- FC Bayern München – Best Digital and Social Media Team Club
- Arsenal FC – Campaign of the Year
- Lega Calcio Serie A & Haier – Best Marketing and Sponsor Activation
- Mirwan Suwarso – Top Manager of the Year
- Anna Rabuano – Female Leadership in Football – Emanuela Perinetti
- SC Braga – Football Tech Award
- Real Betis – Leader in Social Responsibility and Impact
- Paolo Monguzzi – SFS Stadium & Venue Excellence Award
- Operazione Nostalgia – SFS Best Indoor Fan Experience Award
- Como 1907 – YouGov Football Index Award
- UMO Health – SFS ExtraTime Startup Competition Award
The evening reaffirmed the status of the SFS Awards as an international benchmark celebrating the projects, professionals, and organizations transforming the sports industry.
Gianfilippo Valentini: "SFS Is a Platform Uniting Vision, Innovation, and Strategic Decision-Making"
"SFS 26 demonstrated extraordinary maturity, confirming Turin and the Allianz Stadium as an international reference point for the evolution of our industry," stated Gianfilippo Valentini, CEO & Founder of SFS.
"Hosting the League Assemblies and bringing together over 200 speakers and international leaders means establishing a unique platform capable of connecting technological innovation directly to the decision-making processes shaping the future of football. Our work now continues as we share the strategic projects developed here to guide industry change with vision and responsibility."
Looking Toward the 10th Anniversary Edition in 2027
Following the conclusion of its ninth edition, SFS look ahead to 2027, when it will celebrate its 10th anniversary milestone. This upcoming edition marks the next chapter in the international growth of an event that continuously connects global football leaders, fostering dialogue across institutions, corporations, professionals, and emerging generations.