Milan Club Sydney uniting "a common appreciation" for an Italian giant
- Ian Pulczynski
- 4 minutes ago
- 6 min read
They stay up late or wake up early to support one of the biggest clubs not only in Europe but across the world on TV. Despite the time zone difference, members of Milan Club Sydney meet up weekly to watch matches. But it's more than just drinking espressos and watching matches on a screen; it's about a sense of community and camaraderie that unites people around a common interest.
Milan Club Sydney is a growing fan supporter group of Italian giants AC Milan. (Image: Milan Club Sydney Facebook)
Italian giants AC Milan require no lengthy introduction to explain who they are. The seven-time UEFA Champions League winners are one of the largest clubs not only in Italy and Europe, but globally. The famous Rossoneri colours can be found anywhere in the world, and whether it's a jersey from the 90s or the latest one, the famous red and black stripes with a touch of gold are synonymous with Milan.
AC Milan has a rich history, with a trophy cabinet filled with domestic and international trophies, and iconic players wearing the club's colours throughout time, such as Paulo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko, and Kaká. The stature of Milan has attracted many fans from around the globe, and this is evident in Australia, particularly in Sydney. Front Page Football spoke with Milan Club Sydney President Daniel Karameneas to learn more about how the club is followed in the Harbour City.
Before diving into Milan Club Sydney, it's essential to recognise the Italian ties associated with Australia. Sydney, in particular, has been home to a substantial Italian immigrant population that moved to Australia in search of a better life for themselves and for generations to come. Although the demographics have changed since the 1970s and 1980s, suburbs in Sydney's inner west, such as Five Dock and Leichhardt, still preserve their Italian heritage with Italian-style cafes, delis, and restaurants on their streets. It's also where Milan Club Sydney meets up in the early hours of the day to support their side.
Daniel Karamaneas (right) is the President of Milan Club Sydney. (Image: Milan Club Sydney Facebook)
"There was something missing in Australia, a lack of community, a lack of a place for Italian football, in particular for Milan fans," Karameneas said about the establishment of Milan Club Sydney.
"I thought there had to be some way to bring this together (...) We did our due diligence, and from there, Milan Club Australia was born. But we also had the vision that there would be Milan fans across Australia, so it was changed to Milan Club Sydney to allow our family to grow, which it has (...) The main focal point is to have this community camaraderie and bring football culture back into this European-like style of a little cafe or bar type environment (...) You might not be in the stadium, but the passion is still alive."
Milan supporters in Sydney have been active since the 1960s, but it wasn't until 2010 that the club was fully established. AC Milan officially recognises Milan Club Sydney, which is part of a network of other official supporter groups spanning from Australia to Asia to North America. As President of Milan Club Sydney, Karameneas isn't focused on high membership numbers; rather, he wants people from different walks of life to share the same appreciation for AC Milan in one spot.
"It's more a fluid type of an approach for a club," Karamaneas said.
"We just want people to come, so the importance is not the number of members, it's about connecting people that have a common appreciation for AC Milan. What we see a lot is that people from Italy are here on holiday or on a Visa, and they come and watch too; it's an open club for all Milan supporters.
"We have a range of different supporters, we have members who are five years old up to 80 years old (...) that diversity in support from different age groups and backgrounds is important. We have Italians, Croatians, Indians, Chinese; it's a multicultural approach to our club. There's no one real demographic that we focus on, because Milan is an international brand and it's strong around the world, in particular in Asia and the USA. It's the most important thing for me to see. As I said earlier, it's not about how many members you have; it's about people coming together, and that's always been the vision of Milan Club Sydney, that everyone is welcome.
"To be able to give people this opportunity, especially considering that for years there were broadcasting issues in Australia with Italian football, and now we have this amazing opportunity with every game live, such as the Coppa Italia on Paramount+, it's always been the club's mantra of anyone who is part of Milan to be together."
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What Karamaneas aspires to do is not only offer opportunities to unite Milan fans together through watch-along matches in the morning in just one spot, but he wants to expand the footprint of Milan Club Sydney in different avenues to make sure that no matter the hour or availability, people can feel a part of the supporters group.
"It's not just watching the games, we were also at Ferragosto, one of the biggest Italian cultural festivals in Australia," he said.
"It was great exposure for our club and celebrating what it means to be a Milan supporter. We have pizza nights; twice we've got lucky of eating pizza and watching the game instead of drinking coffee. Why do we do this? It's because we want to have events to involve everybody.
"At the end of this year, we'll have an end-of-year dinner, which is what we normally do to bring our fans together (...) We try and do different things. Later this year, we're starting to look at our own futsal team (...) There are a lot of things we want to do whereby if people can't make it to live matches because it's too early in the morning, there are other ways to be part of our community, and we're looking to grow that even more."
In terms of AC Milan's history and footprint in Australia, the Italian giants have previously come to Australian soil, but that was generations ago; however, most recently, the club has experienced a huge affinity with Australia and in particular in Perth, as they travelled to Western Australia in 2024 and 2025 for pre-season matches against AS Roma and Perth Glory, respectively. Thousands of Milan fans from around the world united to see their team in action on Australian soil.
Such was the positive reception from both on and off the pitch in Western Australia that the club and local government authorities are exploring the possibility of playing an official Serie A match with competition points on the line in Australia. The San Siro will be unavailable due to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. AC Milan has also made efforts to connect with their international fan groups, showing appreciation for the international community and demonstrating their commitment to spreading support on a global level.
"It's opened the world of Italian football back into Australia," Karamaneas said about Milan's recent trips to Western Australia.
"It's bought not only Italian football but the Italian culture together (...) We were really surprised the first time in 2024; last year [marked] a 20-year hiatus that they had not come out, so it was something very big. We planned many things around that to show that kind of collectiveness around Australia. We've been very lucky the past two years to have the players pretty much come to us, and they have been amazing. The club has opened their doors to every single fan; it's a pinch-yourself moment when you have these players in front of you, and they want to engage. This is something so special for us.
"It's groundbreaking, it hasn't been done in any European competitions, it's never been done before, so it's a big thing," Karameneas added about the possibility of seeing AC Milan play out a Serie A match in Australia in February.
"To know that Australia could be one of the first to do this, in particular Perth, is such an important thing for football, not only for Italian or European football (...) The Italian Football Federation has already approved it. We're quite confident, and we've received knowledge that it could be happening. Everyone is very excited. What it will mean for us is something quite special."
AC Milan and the Italian Football Federation could easily approve the AC Milan-Como match to a location with strong political influence and financial backing, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United States; however, with AC Milan showing ambition to come down under again, it shows that Australia as a football market is not forgotten despite huge challenges in financials, climate and location.