Turin: Juventus opened their new stadium with a lavish ceremony and a friendly on Thursday against Notts County, the English club that provided their white-and-black jerseys more than 100 years ago.
The event in Turin was given great significance in Italy as Juventus will be the only Serie A to play in their own stadium, a situation which holds clubs back financially.
"We have completed this project at a very difficult and delicate moment, in terms of the club's sporting history and the macroeconomic context," club president Andrea Agnelli told reporters before the opening ceremony.
"This is a demonstration of our will to undertake an investment which can change our club and the ownership culture in Italy. This for us is a matter of great pride."
Italian FA president Giancarlo Abete added: "What is lacking in Italian football is that the clubs have their own stadiums."
The 40,200-seat facility was built in two years on the site of the former Stadio delle Alpi, on the outskirts of Turin, at a cost of 120 million Euros.
The first modern football stadium in Italy, it features 84 luxury boxes, a commercial center to be opened next month and two restaurants, in addition to normal bars with eating areas.
With no running track, the seats are close to the pitch and the benches are in the first rows of the stands like at some English stadiums.
Notts County, who came away with a 1-1 draw, were chosen as the opponents for sentimental reasons.
Juventus wore pink jerseys until 1903 when they asked one of their players, Englishman John Savage, if he knew anyone who could supply shirts in more resistant colors. Savage had a friend in Nottingham send the black-and-white kits that the Magpies still wear and Juventus have worn for every one of their record 27 Italian league titles.
Founded in 1862, Notts County now play in the third tier of English football.
Juventus will play their first official match in the new stadium - which has not been named yet - against Parma on Sunday to open Serie A.
The Turin giants slumped after the Calciopoli corruption scandal, when the club was stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles and demoted to Serie B. Although they won promotion at the first attempt, they have finished seventh in each of the last two seasons.
"It is a cultural revolution, and a revolution of the football world. It's an important step for us," said midfielder Alessandro Del Piero, who has spent his whole career with the club, before the game.
"I really hope this will now become the norm for Italian football and its stadiums."
In the last 25 years, Juventus have played at the old Comunale stadium and the unpopular Stadio delle Alpi, site of the current arena. Since 2006, they have played at the Olimpico, the re-modelled version of the Comunale.
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