“Ol prim amùr no se ’l desmèntega mai” – “You never forget your first love”, goes a saying in Bergamasque dialect. And nowhere does it feel more true than in the devotion to Atalanta, and to its most lyrical icon: the flowing hair of La Dea herself, painted across murals and memories at the heart of the city.

In this proud corner of Lombardy, loyalty to the club weaves together alpine valleys and industrial zones, folk tradition and forward-thinking ambition. It’s a matter of bloodlines and belonging: of households that remember the noble ‘Viking’ Strömberg and the ‘Son of the Wind’ Caniggia, while raising the next generation talking about De Roon and Sulemana. History shifts, but always in the same direction. The city becomes its team. The team becomes its city.

Nowhere does this duality express itself more clearly than in the New Balance Arena. A stadium, and a football treasure, that stands between past and future, just like Bergamo itself. Here, history is expanded upon. 1928 architecture engages in majestic dialogue with sleek contemporary design. Minimalist lines become canvases for tidal crowds dressed in black and blue. And the soundwaves resonate deep, as during Samardžić’s equalizer in a pulsing 1–1 draw with Como.

At this crossroads of Bergamo’s collective imagination, New Balance invited us to feel the ‘atalantinità’, and the profound vision behind a partnership that is anything but superficial. A collaboration grounded in football knowledge, and above all in a deep understanding of La Dea’s living mythology. 

It’s Anastasiya Ryaboshapka, Sports Marketing Manager, Global Football at New Balance, who walks us through this meeting of minds and philosophies: where American vision blends with local pulse, and where heritage meets horizon.

“At New Balance, we’ve always taken a different approach to partnerships. We’ve looked for something deeper: heritage, authenticity, and shared values. That’s exactly what drew us to Atalanta.

When we first approached the club, we already had a partnership with the Boston Celtics through sponsorship of their facility. And there was also a long-standing connection between our ownership group and Stephen Pagliuca (who is an investor and owner involved with both Atalanta and the Boston Celtics). Then we saw the potential. Atalanta has a rich history, a passionate fanbase, and values that align closely with what New Balance stands for.

We don’t just go after the biggest clubs or the biggest names. We look for something more grounded, something that shares our spirit. That’s why Atalanta felt like the right fit. When the opportunity came to sponsor the stadium — what is now the New Balance Arena — as well, it felt like a natural next step. If we’d done it with a different club, it might’ve seemed like just another commercial move. But with Atalanta, it genuinely felt like joining a family.

That’s what made us want to explore this further: and we hope the fans will feel that connection. We hope they’ll see the New Balance Arena as a symbol of growth. The club is evolving. You can already see it in the kits, not just in terms of quality, but in how we’re communicating them. We’re also getting involved in the community: supporting Atalanta’s local initiatives. We have big plans, and it all just made sense.

Before officially announcing the stadium name, we launched a campaign with season ticket holders. It was already running during matchday: they were featured in the campaign, and Atalanta posted about it. For us, that was a meaningful way to connect with real fans. We didn’t want to show up as just another ‘American brand’ doing a sponsorship. We didn’t want this to be seen as purely commercial. We wanted to show local fans what New Balance really stands for. That’s why that first step — involving the season ticket holders — was so important. It was our way of saying: this isn’t just the New Balance Arena; it belongs to the fans too. They’re part of it. 

This region feels like a natural extension of what we do. It’s solid and grounded. And New Balance is all about heritage. We’re a family-owned, private company. I personally worked in bigger companies before, and I can tell you: there’s a big difference when you work for a family business versus a public corporation. That connects to everything I’ve been saying. And that’s why our leadership team loves visiting here. Bergamo is Bergamo, and it’s also close to Milan, which we still consider a global fashion capital. We have our distributors there, our key accounts. 

Our vision is also about relationships. It’s about building meaningful connections. And being part of the Atalanta project feels really exciting. It’s fresh. It feels like the beginning of a new era in football. It’s not just about performance anymore. It’s about the stories behind the game. It’s about culture. So when we think about marketing now, we’re more focused on the stories, and telling them from the fans’ perspective. What do they represent? I think we’ve already done a great job, but the strategy is evolving. We’re going to work even more closely with the fanbase.

This is something New Balance and I care deeply about. Personally, I work with different clubs, and for me, it’s not just about results or whether the team is in the Champions League or Europa League. It’s about the experience. During the New Balance Arena experience, you saw me looking at stickers: I just wanted to feel it. And I told the Atalanta Marketing: next time I come, I want to sit with the fans. I want to feel what they feel. To me, that’s everything: what fans represent, what they talk about, the values they share. Once again, that’s culture. That’s the full picture.

I believe Atalanta is excited too. This is something new for them. They’re stepping into a different world, and we’re proud to support that. Also because we were genuinely pleased to learn how much Atalanta is investing in youth development and the academy, and in the local community. They support schools, bring kids to the stadium, and lead various local initiatives. Now we’re working together to create a joint project.

Atalanta is honestly one of the clubs that impressed us the most. Yes, lots of clubs are doing community work these days, but Atalanta is different. It’s not just about Bergamo. It’s about the entire province. One of the first things we learned while working on the product was that every newborn in the Bergamo province receives an Atalanta kit at the hospital. We actually built an entire campaign around that for the home kit launch. To us, that’s what culture means. That’s identity. You’re born, and from day one, you’re already part of the Atalanta family. That fits perfectly with our philosophy.

We see the New Balance Arena and Atalanta as an opportunity to do something much bigger than football. It’s about making a meaningful impact. And honestly, we’re just getting started. There’s so much more to come.”