Football club Parma partners with esports organisation Reply Totem

Football club Parma Calcio 1913 (Parma) has announced an esports partnership with Italian esports organisation Reply Totem.

The deal will see Parma work with Reply Totem on influencer marketing and social media strategies that aim to attract more people towards the football club’s esports division.

Parma is a well-known football club with initially. Currently competing in Serie A, Parma is most known for its international success in the 1990s, when the team won the UEFA Cup two times. The sports club has since endured several leadership changes and was relegated several times before climbing back to Italy’s top division in 2024.

Interestingly, the sports club is no stranger to esports and was one of the early adopters when it comes to investing in esports. The club first created its esports section in 2018, and has competed in football game FIFA (EAFC). According to Parma’s Digiral Marketing Director Lorenzo Galletti, the club has “the largest esports community in Italy”, and is looking to further expand and capitalise on its popularity both nationally and internationally.

According to a release, the deal with Reply Totem will see the organisation help Parma expand its presence in the esports and digital spheres, notably by helping with content creation, influencer marketing, and other activations and events. In addition, the two partners will work on women-focused esports activations and will look to expand Parma’s roster of teams and esports games they are a part of.

Maria Rita Labrocca, Social Media and Esports Specialist at Parma Calcio 1913, commented on the deal: “Parma Esports and Reply Totem confirm the commitment to invest in young talents and in the female sector, expanding the horizons of traditional esports, also thanks to the involvement of video game titles different from the classic sports simulators.”