Preamble
Here at Gentleman Ultra we have long dreamed of having a place where we could hang out with like-minded souls and indulge in our love of 90s Italian football over a beer and pizza. So when PR & Marketing Manager, Emma Critchley, contacted us about the opening of such a bar in Camberwell (South East London), we had to pinch ourselves.
The name of the bar told us all we needed to know: Golazio was to be a celebration of Serie A’s golden era. Like us, owner Tim McTigue fell in love with Italian football whilst watching Channel 4’s coverage of ‘Il Campionato più bello del mondo’ during the 1990s. So when Emma asked us if we would like to get involved with the bar’s launch, we couldn’t resist.
Our man in London, Luca Hodges-Ramon, was tasked with flying the TGU flag as plans for Golazio’s official press launch were drawn up. The idea was to exhibit all facets of the bar, from its impressive variety of 90s’ Calcio memorabilia (including a ceiling adorned by copies of Gazzetta dello Sport and a huge mural of Paul Gascoigne in Lazio colours), to its eclectic range of Italian craft beers and pizza by the slice.
As part of our involvement in this festival of Italian football, Luca hosted a live Q & A session with ex-Torino defender Tony Dorigo and AC Milan cult hero Mark Hateley.
On behalf of all at The Gentleman Ultra we would like to say ‘grazie mille!’ to Emma and Tim for having us.
Here is a rundown of events from a wonderful evening of nostalgia, birra and calcio!
Golazio Press Release
On Friday 20th July, some of the most respected football journalists, authors and enthusiasts from up and down the country descended onto a less well known part of south east London for the launch of a brand new Serie A themed bar, selling Italian craft beer and giant slices of Pizza.
Golazio, is a homage to what is regarded by many as the golden era of football, fondly remembered through those Saturday mornings tuning into James Richardson on Channel 4. Those who loved it then, still love it today, with nostalgia playing a huge part in its current popularity. To mark the official opening, owner Tim McTigue, invited AC Milan legend Mark Hateley, England and Torino player, Tony Dorigo and author of World in Motion, Simon Hart to join a panel with 90’s Football podcast, Alive and Kicking and purveyors of Italian passion, The Gentleman Ultra.
The night started with guests getting very excited about all the retro Serie A references. Snapping up pictures of the life size, hand painted Gazza, the classic framed shirts, Panini sticker wall and the Italia ‘90 mascot, which was gifted by a local passerby as a ‘good luck charm’ during the 2018 World Cup. However, one thing a smartphone couldn’t quite capture the essence of, was the euphoric feeling of going to the toilet while Pavarotti belts out Nessun Dorma.
Gazzetta dello Sports proudly lining Golazio’s ceilings
Hosts of Alive and Kicking, Ash Rose, Joel Young and Matthew Crist recorded their first ever live podcast, interviewing Tony Dorigo about what it was like being part of the Italia ‘90 England squad, revealing the brains behind the tour bus boobs and breaking down the managerial style of the great Bobby Robson. A surprise addition to panel was Simon Hart, sports journalist and author of World In Motion (deCoubertin 2018) which has been described as, “the definitive biography of the tournament” by Outside Write. You’ll be able to listen to the full interview from Thursday 26th July 2018.
Next up was Managing Editor of The Gentleman Ultra, Luca Hodges-Ramon who was a natural compare for the live Q&A with Dorigo and Hateley. Together they explored what it was like to play in Italy alongside some of the greatest players in history, before opening up to questions from Twitter and the floor. Naturally, the conversation began with that famous Milan derby, in which Hateley broke the six year curse, scoring the winning goal against Inter. Hateley reminded the audience of how he was remembered up until that point; for being sent off in his Milan debut. This turned the conversation to aggression and how it was more accepted by referees back then than it is today. Dorigo described how he once tried to kick lumps out of Franco Causio and Hateley relived the time Daniel Passarella spat at him twice, to which he responded with a “good old fashioned clash of the heads” knocking Passarella out cold for five minutes. You can watch them tell both of these stories here.
The night continued as people tucked into giant slices of pizza, named after their favourite calcio stadiums and sipped Italian cocktails and craft beers. Mark and Tony stuck around to mingle with the crowd taking photos and even got behind the bar to pull a pint.
Since the event, attendees have been taking to Twitter to express their gratitude.
“It was superb” @Adz77
“Congrats to @GolazioLondon on the launch. Great event yesterday – bought back a lot of memories – and the Gazette wallpaper is brilliant. In bocca al lupo!” @rulitos14
“This is a great bar, great pizza, great music and super friendly and it’s my local… This is what we have been missing in this area. Fab!” @patanna
“The love so many of us share for Calcio in the 90s means you owe it to yourself to get over to @GolazioLondon and eat pizza by the slice and drink some incredible Italian craft beer in a gorgeous setting encapsulated by 90s Calcio memorabilia and nostalgia” @oasis1711
Golazio owner Tim McTigue says, “It went better than I could have ever imagined. My highlight was interrupting the podcast to give Tony a Gazzetta I’d found, published at the time of the Italia ’90 3rd/4th play offs. It was a small article on page 11 with his headshot and we joked about him having a lot more hair back then and the column saying something about him not having yet played in the World Cup.”
“I can’t believe the distance people travelled to join us. We had people from Scotland, Manchester, Leamington Spa and Norfolk. It’s a surreal experience seeing your dream unfold before your very eyes and it makes the future of this part of Camberwell Road very exciting.”
Keep up with the latest news and events from Golazio on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
For PR enquiries please contact Emma Lloyd: @Emma_TLCUk
About Golazio: 57-59 Camberwell Road, London, SE5 0EZ
Image Credit: @ScottTweedPhoto