Curva Südt wants to improve the atmosphere in the Drusus Stadium.

Something is happening in the FCS fan scene: “We want to be loud”

When FC Südtirol starts the new competitive season this Monday in the cup hit against Sampdoria, they will also be there: the boys from Curva Südt. A new fan club that has big plans.

August 14, 2023

From: fop

Anyone who watched last season's playoffs live in the Drusus Stadium may have noticed: several dozen people in white shirts who created a great atmosphere on the edge of the Zanvettor stand. Many stadium visitors at the time asked themselves who this new group was. Now it is appearing in public for the first time.

The new fan group is called Curva Südt and wants to ensure a real home game atmosphere in the Drusus Stadium in the future. And according to the motto: multilingual, loud, together. The men and women of the new group are oriented towards international fan culture and want to improve the atmosphere in the Bolzano Arena with a singer, drums and visual aids such as flags and scarves.

Fan chants in several languages

The name Curva Südt is intended to reflect the intention of active support, but also multilingualism. The singing and cheering is mainly in Italian, but also in German, and the Curva members have even come up with a Ladin battle cry. The new fan club wants to bring the diversity of South Tyrol directly into its block, sector 2A directly opposite Gradinata Nord, and thus inspire as many spectators as possible to create an active atmosphere in the stadium.

What started last fall as a travel WhatsApp group of four friends before the away game in Palermo has now grown into a fan club with 153 members from all parts of the country. Many of them will be keeping their fingers crossed for the FCS in the first round of the cup on Monday evening (SportNews is ticking live from 18 p.m.) in the Marassi Stadium in Genoa, like us Curva Südt President Christian Theiner told. In the following interview he introduces the new fan club in more detail.

“We have members from 43 communities, from Hochpustertal to Upper Vinschgau.” Christian Theiner, President Curva Südt

How is the Curva Südt structured?

Christian Theiner: “We are a voluntary organization. We have grown from eight founders to 153 members. The core group of 20 people does the organizational work, i.e. organizing away trips and events, the bureaucratic, financial and merchandising aspects. We have members from 43 communities, many come from the Bolzano area, but the Curva-Südt map extends from Hochpustertal to Upper Vinschgau.”


Is Curva Südt an ultra group or do you see yourself more as a fan umbrella group?

“We have several streams coming together. There are young, committed members who lean into the ultra culture and there are others who primarily want to watch football together and support their team. We have all agreed on one path: We are open to everyone, offer a home to all language groups and cultures and do one thing above all, namely support FC Südtirol loudly and unconditionally – both at home and away.”


What is the average age in the Curva Südt?

“The core of Curva Südt has been following the FCS for many years and some have also been active in other groups. The average there is around 30 years. Our group is diverse, we have young people as well as older people. And: We welcome additional fans, regardless of age. Anyone interested can contact us at the stadium or find us on the usual social media channels.”


How difficult is it to build a kind of fan culture at FCS?

“You have to say that several fan clubs had already tried it before us and we already have a committed group with Gradinata Nord. They are certainly in the pioneering role. We also don't want to appear as competition to Gradinata. We have a different philosophy than them, but basically it's about supporting the club. Sure, it's usually the away fans who create the atmosphere in the Drusus Stadium, but we want to change that. One difficulty is certainly that the FCS fans are spread far across the country; you first have to lure these people to the stadium - sometimes over long distances. But I am convinced that we will succeed as a multilingual group.”