Roma Review of 2016 Part 8: Roma share the love on tour

Mauro Baldissoni, Roma General Manager: “We tour so we can get closer to our fans. That’s why we tour normally every year. We want to bring the team to new places and new markets. When we went to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as the match we played, we also had practice at the stadium, which we also opened up to our Academy that we had just launched in Dubai. This is important for the grassroots program and brand awareness: to show our presence in markets that are demonstrating to be very interested in our club and very passionate. We thank them for that and one way to thank them is to bring the team where they are.”

Johnny Palomba, Roma TV: "I obviously noticed a much more relaxed atmosphere in Dubai compared to other trips abroad. It was a chance to see the players in a different environment from usual. It was incredible to see how well known Roma are outside of Italy and how famous Francesco Totti is. The real star in Dubai was Momo Salah, however. He couldn't go anywhere without a huge crowd of fans surrounding him. People were handing him their children in his arms to take photos. I watched the game pitchside from behind the goal with my colleague Simone Conte, something that never happens to us. The heat was unbelievable and the support from the opposing fans was deafening."

Marco Paonessa, Roma TV: "I had already been to America with Rudi Garcia's Roma and we stayed in almost the same places. I noticed a big difference in the involvement of the public this year, especially during training. The number of fans was growing day by day. That was nice as I realised Roma's importance on the other side of the pond.

"The only negative from that period was Mario Rui's injury, but luckily he's come back. The friendly against Liverpool was the best, the most interesting event that drew in a big crowd."

Tommaso Guccione, Roma fan: "The experience in Boston was one of the best in my life. I was staying with relatives in Massachusetts for a few weeks on a summer course while Roma were on their tour of North America. Despite the fact I didn't have anyone to take me, I decided I couldn't miss out on the chance to see my players in the flesh. I got a train at eight in the morning to Boston and then took a few metros to the Harvard pitches where Spalletti’s squad should have been training. There wasn't anyone there when I arrived at the ground because training had been put back to the afternoon, so I asked around, as I knew the team hotel was nearby, and went there on foot. It was just before lunch and, thanks to an American family, I managed to get inside the hotel lobby and meet a few of the media guys and then take a few photos with players and the president [James] Pallotta.

"I was already over the moon and when the team went in for lunch, I went outside the glass structure of the hotel. I went closer to the window to see the players walking into the room to have lunch. Right then, something happened that I will never forget. President Pallotta beckoned me inside to have lunch with everybody. Initially I couldn't believe he was actually talking to me, but as it happens, I was in luck. It was so exciting.”

Jim Pallotta, Roma President: “Look, we don’t have a team unless we have fans. My mentality has always been inclusive anyway. I’ve always spent a lot of time doing charity work in the United States with children’s programs - just like what we’re doing with Roma Cares. To see a kid looking in like that, it’s almost like Christmas Day.

"Having the ability as an owner to say, ‘Hey, come on in,’ and then asking Francesco and Daniele, ‘Hey, any chance this kid can come and have lunch with you,’ and they’re like, ‘Yeah of course.’ Seeing that kid go up and have five servings, which is unbelievable for such a little kid, that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”

Tommaso Guccione: “I sat down to eat with him and we spoke about myself and my passion for Roma. Before that, I was actually sat in the middle of the players, near to the captain and everyone else. The guys made me feel at ease, chatting to me and joking about how much I was eating. Also, at the end of the meal, Radja Nainggolan, maybe because he found out I lived in Belgium and was Italian, gave me his shirt as well. He actually went into his room and got it for me, signing it with a dedication as well. I really saw the human side of the players at that moment; often they're not presented accurately by the mass media. In any case, it was the best hour of my life.”

Mauro Baldissoni: “We want to give the chance to people who normally don’t have access to the team and players to have the opportunity to be with them.”

Marco Paonessa: "It's always evocative when you play at a baseball ground and the great atmosphere at the Busch Stadium in St. Louis is a nice memory, not to mention the meeting between Didier Drogba and Francesco Totti in Montreal. Seeing two legends of a similar ilk swapping shirts isn't something that happens every day."

Jim Pallotta: “We’re just trying to do everything we can to be more inclusive with our fans. Frustrations abound when we can’t get the barriers down and hopefully that can happen soon.

"Anybody who knows me knows that from the top, as an organisation, we are fan-centric. We really care about what our fans think. That’s why we built the website where we allow crowdsourcing and fans to produce content. That’s why we have Facebook or Twitter chats and we should probably be doing more of that. That’s why when we thought about the next language of our website, we asked the fans to tell us. It’s things like that.

"I believe that we are only at the beginning of what we are going to build and what we’re trying to do with the fans. We’re spending an awful lot of time on a number of other programs that will be very attractive to the fans. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.”

Tommaso Guccione: "Even now, almost six months on, I still go to bed in the evening and think, ‘Damn I saw Totti, De Rossi and the whole squad in the flesh and had lunch with them!’ It was amazing for me, so exciting. I went back to school in Belgium a few weeks later and obviously everyone had seen the videos on Roma's Facebook page and the photo on the club website. Let's say there was a little moment of glory for me. I'll never forget that day."