Lazio and tickets: 1977 to the present day
- Dag Jenkins
- Jul 3
- 7 min read
I have been going to watch Lazio at the stadium for almost fifty years now. A lot has changed in this time; the stadium itself, the kick off times and days, TV broadcasting of all games, the prices, the characters, the security and controls, the way of getting tickets and the tickets themselves.
We can take a look at how the tickets have changed since the late 1970's until present day.
My first game at the Olimpico was a Coppa Italia evening kick-off against Inter in 1976. The following season I went again a few times with my father and brother.
In the 1977-78 season I started going more regularly to league games with my older brother of 12. So, I was 10 and he was 12 (unheard of nowadays). We caught the bus for about 30 minutes and queued up at the "botteghino" (ticket booth) outside the Curva Nord. The games started at 14.30 in the winter and a bit later in September and spring (the clocks still changed at the end of September and not October). The fans tended to arrive a long time before kick-off and sometimes with a three-course lunch, there were also no numbered seats so it was first arrivals who got the best seats. There was still no roof so some Sundays were very wet affairs. We used to hide a ball in a hedge outside the ground so after the game, especially victories, we tried to emulate the likes of Bruno Giordano, Vincenzo D'Amico and Pino Wilson on the adjacent Stadio dei Marmi field. Another post-match habit was the delicious ciambelle (doughnuts) at the Tavola Calda on the corner of Ponte Milvio square (we were still too young for Peroni..). It was not all danger free however as one episode saw my brother have his scarf stolen at knife point.
Ticket prices were affordable to the majority especially in the "Curva" ends (1,000-1,500 Lire for boys). My father was a school teacher and I went regularly as a boy and teenager, something I doubt I could have done today.
In the late 1970's the tickets did not change much. In 1978-79 the sponsor changed and in 1979-80 the tickets were sometimes a bit larger. 1979 saw the tragic death of Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli who was hit by a flare fired from the Roma end before the game. I arrived just after the incident and we decided to leave. I therefore never saw the game but have the ticket.
Tickets owned by Dag Jenkins, photos by Dag Jenkins
In 1980 Lazio were relegated due to the Calcio scommesse betting scandal. This meant a longer Serie B season with more varied kick-off times; still classic 14.30 in winter but as late as 16.30/17 when approaching summer. The tickets became slightly thicker, sometimes varied in colour and the sponsor was also new. By now the tickets cost about 3,500 Lire.
Lazio narrowly missed out on promotion and also spent the next two years in the B. In these two years I had my first season tickets. In 1981-82 the actual tickets did not change but the sponsor did, as again in 1982-83.
In 1983-84 Lazio were back in Serie A and 1974 Scudetto hero Giorgio Chinaglia was back as president. I continued to be a season ticket holder. The only change in the match day tickets is they got slightly bigger.
All items owned and photographed by Dag Jenkins
In 1984-85 I had my final year school exams so I bought tickets on the day to some matches. The tickets got more colourful and fancier and the sponsor changed again too. Lazio unfortunately had a disastrous season and were relegated.
There followed three more years in Serie B. I was away from Rome but back during holidays. The tickets remained largely unchanged, sometimes varying in colour while the sponsor changed twice. On the field Lazio had a bad first year, a heroic survival in the second despite starting with a nine-point docking and finally promotion in the third.
Back in Serie A in 1988-89 and 1989-90 the sponsor remained the same and the tickets were similar to the previous years. Fortunately, Lazio have been in the top flight ever since. Many games were played at the smaller Stadio Flaminio due to work on the Olimpico. By now tickets cost about 10,000 Lire.
Big changes came in the 1990-91 season. For one, the Olimpico had been renovated for Italia '90 World Cup and this included a roof. The beautiful green hill of Monte Mario was less visible but it obviously meant drier match days for fans and some protection from the sun.
Another major change was the fact that tickets were now purchasable some days before the game in bars, tobacconists and other authorised sellers. The tickets now came with numbers and sectors so technically you could choose and have your own seat. This meant the fans started to arrive at the ground nearer kick-off time. In 1991-92 Lazio also changed bank sponsors. The tickets became more "90's-ish" colour wise. The prices were up to about 15,000 Lire.
In 1992-93 the tickets varied in design over the season with different images on them. They also changed in colour every game. These were the early Sergio Cragnotti years with the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Aron Winter and Karl-Heinz Riedle. Lazio were becoming more competitive.
It was also in this period that Simon and I and sometimes my brother started to meet on Ponte Milvio for a post-match beer (I had left Curva Nord for "political divergences"). We got some looks as this was before the bridge became a trendy hangout.
All items owned and photographed by Dag Jenkins
In 1993-94 and 1994-95 I had a season ticket but the tickets remained similar. Lazio also started to play in Europe.
All items owned and photographed by Dag Jenkins
No great changes in 1996-97 and 1997-98 apart from Cragnotti bringing his own company sponsor in. A novelty however were special tickets for special games such as the Coppa Italia cup final and the UEFA CUP semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
In 1998-99 the ticket distributor changed during the season. Initially the tickets were similar to the previous years but then they became a dull yellow and thicker in texture. Unfortunately, these have not withstood the test of time well and the ink has come off most of them. The Cup Winners Cup tickets however were still particularly nice.
In 1999-2000 fortunately I was a season ticket holder as Lazio won the Scudetto. The match day tickets continued to be the new yellow numbers.
In 2000-01 I renewed my season ticket. The normal tickets went unchanged apart from the sponsor. In the Champions league the ink problem persisted.
Little change in 2001-02. Season ticket for me and yellow ones to fade in future for the others.
In 2002-03 the match tickets improved aesthetically. They were light blue and no longer had a main sponsor, just several on the back. I continued to have a season ticket.
In 2003-04 the distributor changed again and the tickets became a greyer blue.
No real changes for the 2004-05 season for me or the tickets
In 2005-06 no season ticket for me but the match day tickets were similar. One big change however was that the tickets now had your name on them and so security was stepped up with several document checks and electronic turnstiles.
It was the end of an era for the people who used to slip in about 10-15 minutes from the end when the gates were opened for early leavers. My brother once saw four late goals in the Zeman period in this way...
Not much changed in 2006-07. I had a card for the European games.
Over the next two seasons I had a season ticket again and the tickets became greyer again. I also had a Champions league package in 2007-08.
Source Lazio Wiki
There followed many years in which the tickets remained more or less unchanged. From 2009-10 until the modern era of a printed sheet of paper the tickets changed very little.
In the last few years tickets have become non-descript paper printouts (more like boarding passes for planes), so I fear my almost fifty year long collection sadly ends here.
By now of course television has completely taken over football. The games can be played Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, evening or night, Sunday lunch-time, afternoon, evening or night and even Monday night. The prices have rocketed despite what we were promised when the pay-per view networks came in. Technology and VAR have also altered the experience.
Anyway, hopefully some fans have tickets and memories of how football used to be.
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