After their latest 1-0 win over SPAL on Saturday, Napoli are still looking to reach the top of Serie A again, with many fans supporting the Partenopei and still holding on to their Scudetto dreams.
Naples is a city with a long history of emigration, which has contributed to the club becoming one of the most well-supported around the world.
It is no surprise that Dublin, too, is home to an Azzurri group of fans, Club Napoli Dublin, and usually meet the Woolshed Baa & Grill pub on Parnell Street.
The club was founded almost six years ago by some Irish-based Napoli supporters who, after getting together, decided to create a space where they can share their passion for the team.
“We have no membership and everyone is welcome,” said club member Alessandro Salvati. “However, we can provide some merchandising discounts, such as our personal shirts.
“For every match, we always book some tables at the pub. During the big matches, we have more than 30 people and the fan club now is growing on social media,” added Francesco, another member.
“We welcome everybody, especially those who come to Dublin for holiday.”
The supporters’ group counts mostly Italian nationals, but not just those coming only from the south of the peninsula.
“The majority of us are Italians,” Salvati added. “However, there’s a varied group of us here. Some of them come from the north of Italy and other from Sardinia too.
“It’s not easy to organize something outside the match because of work actually, but we are a really close-knit group indeed.”
The club are ready to watch the big clash of the December 26 meeting with Inter at the pub, after Carlo Ancelotti’s latest win at Stadio San Paolo.
“The team this year is on a really good path,” Francesco added. “Napoli did not deserve to be knock out of the Champions League but the team have a good chance to do a competitive Europa League.
“However, the game against Inter will be tough and we will expect an intense and balanced match.”
The Club Napoli Dublin can be reached via Facebook and Instagram, where you can follow all match-event updates.
