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Notts County to play Juventus in Turin to mark stadium opening
• League One club will play Juve in Turin on 8 September
• Italian team take their colours from Notts County strip
Press Association guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 August 2011 14.42 BST
Notts County are to play Juventus in a friendly to mark the opening of the Serie A club's new stadium in Turin. The 41,000-seat stadium is due to be opened at a ceremony on Thursday 8 September and the Magpies have been invited to play in an exhibition match that evening.
The match follows an historic link between the clubs dating back to 1903, when a Juventus player, the Englishman John Savage, helped to arrange for the Italian club to wear the famous black and white kit that County, the Football League's oldest club, traditionally play in.
Juve have worn black-and-white stripes ever since, and the Magpies chairman, Ray Trew, said: "I have to admit that when the offer first came in I was slightly taken aback and when we sat down to look at the fixture list, we've obviously got a home game against Walsall two days later and then a trip to Exeter the following Tuesday.
Notts County will swap Charlton for Juventus as opposition when they take on the Italian side at their new stadium in September. Photograph: Pa Wire/PA
"However, given the historical relationship between our clubs and the sheer prestige of the occasion, we were prepared to move heaven and earth to make this happen.
"I have spoken to Martin Allen and while it's not ideal obviously, given the schedule of fixtures around that time, he was in agreement that we simply couldn't pass up this opportunity. It will be a fantastic night for everyone associated with this great football club, the players, the staff and of course the fans."
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