Napoli football game good for kids?

Question- is it safe to bring children to these games?

No, even if you'll see many local families bringing their kids. Even if I started going by myself at Naples' stadium when I was 12. Even if nothing happens, It isn't safe because "would be my first time attending a match".

Do I need to be careful what section I get tickets in?

Of course. You'd better get tickets for the most expensive section. Even there, you'll have to pretend not to see if they start insulting any black playing for Udinese.

Shoud we buy t shirts for Napoli to wear to show we are supporters?

Of course not. Even if you will be the obvious tourist, don't try to play a game when you don't know the rules.

What a terrible response Dario. Please re-evaluate yourself and your response. There is no need for this.

I don't know, Emily, I think Dario's response is valid from someone who's been there and know how squirrelly those Naples crowds can get, especially when alcohol-fueled. I've attended big-city sporting events all my life, and I would have second thoughts about attending a football match even in Rome or Milan, much less Naples, only because I haven't been there before--as Dario says--and don't know the protocol. Too easy to unknowingly walk into trouble.

It’s difficult to read Dario’s tone. Is he being forthright or is this written tongue-in-cheek? Upon second read, I think he’s being serious and giving a warning.

Perhaps Dario can explain himself.

I don't think I need to. There is nothing to "re-evaluate" or explain when telling the simple truth.
I grew up in that stadium and I know how udinese and Naples supporters hate each other. Note when those riots took place, somebody may look for revenge.
I have also heard my share of racist insults from people sitting near me, to the point that I quit going to a place that was like a second home.

I wouldn't advise somebody who has never attended a football game to take his kids there as a first time, but feel free to do it.

Perhaps I can also give a bit more context myself. I have traveled a fair bit, mostly across central and eastern europe, and lived in Kingston Jamaica for a period of time, so I feel relatively comfortable going places not on the regular tourist path. I have also been to many large sporting events in New York, Chicago and Toronto. I think I have a fairly decent sense for being in large crowds and knowing when things are getting uncomfortable. Just being extra wary being with my son (who is 11). We certainly do not look Italian (more British). We do not speak Italian, just English and a bit of French. The advice not to go for the cheapest seats is helpful for sure. The basic gut feel from folks is helpful, plus any tips for being safe should we decide to go. Many thanks in advance!!

Choose a seat in the more expensive sections (not in the curves).
Do not wear colors of either team. If you run into the hooligans fans of the opposite team there might be unpleasant situations. I’ve seen hooligans in Florence beating up father and child because they were wearing the Juventus colors, they were saved by police.
If you follow the above advice you should be fine. Stadiums are safer nowadays than they used to be, but occasional violence erupts between opposing hooligans outside the stadium in the neighborhoods around, usually after the game. At the end of the game make your way out either before the game ends (5 min early) or when the crowd has substantially decreased. You are safer inside the stadium than outside. Stay out of situations where there might be brawls.

Well, I must say, attending the game sounds like a real pleasure and fun afternoon out with one's child.

Don't sweat it, go to the match. As a neutral fan your chances of getting caught up in any kind of trouble is very low. 99% of matches come and go without any incidents. When there are issues it's rarely inside the stadium; usually somewhere in the city center-which can be easily avoided. As someone who attends lots of professional sporting events in the NY region, I think it's a lot safer to attend a soccer match in Europe as there is a lot less alcohol consumption inside the stadium compared to a US facility.

Football fans can be passionate to an extreme. It's good to get some insight from "locals". Unfortunately innocent fans/spectators have been victims of excess passion at American football and sports venues. And the most incredulous response to a American sports team winning a championship is a drunken riot (by the fans of the winning team): https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/gallery/notable-sports-riots-gallery-040212

Other examples:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-md-nfl-fan-brawls-20161005-story.html

The severe beating of a Ravens fan in the stands Sunday and a beer can
hurled at an Orioles outfielder in Toronto Tuesday night cast renewed
attention on an unfortunately persistent problem in professional
sports — fan misbehavior crossing the line from boorish to dangerous.

And it even happens with cricket:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_violent_spectator_incidents_in_sports

During the Sydney Riot of 1879, up to 2,000 fans invaded the pitch and
disrupted play after an umpiring dispute broke out between members of
the visiting English cricket team and the New South Wales Cricket
Association; two English players were assaulted, with three fans being
arrested.

And more recently:
https://www.thelocal.it/20181227/inter-milan-fan-dies-after-violence-at-napoli-game

Inter Milan fan dies after violence at Napoli game 27 December 2018

I've been to matches in England, Germany, Spain, and Italy (Milan versus Juventus) and never had any trouble. Fans are passionate; some overly so. There are always fans out of control; even in the U.S. Be aware of your surroundings and enjoy the match.

You might consider this if you are not spending all your time in the major cities. While visiting the Cinque Terre we stayed up the train stops a few clicks at Moneglia, a small town on the coast. I am a big soccer fan and while in Italy tried to get tickets to a match of the major teams but it didn't work out. I asked around in Moneglia and located a match was going to be played between the local young adult males and their rivals from up the road. I went to the match and it ws great, all you expect from Italian football, skills, passion, fun....I didn't sit down in the bleachers but stayed up on a bank near the field and had a great time. We did a similar thing in Dingle, Ireland for Celtic Football and it too ws awesome. So my advice is check around to see if there are local matches where you are staying and consider taking your son to one of those matches, he will love it. The match I saw was heated but nothing violent or much different than high school basketball here in Indiana

Dario, thank you for taking the time to give the input of an experienced local.

Hi everyone,
Thought I would post a follow-up on this. We did go to see the Napoli-Udinese match on Sunday March 17. We had a good experience, and my son loved it. The stadium was only about half full, probably because Udinese is a much lower ranked team. That said, the crowd was very loud and boisterous which gave us a good feel for the passion at these games (Napoli won), We avoided the distinti and curve sections, opting for the more expensive seats. We also left the game about 5 minutes prior to the end. We heard fireworks in the stadium after, which I suspect were not official, so likely a good decision not to wait tilll the end, there were lots of other families there, so I felt safe the entire game. The only issue we had is the closure of the local metro station following these games, The Piazza Liopardi station is closed mid way through any home games, which meant we had to walk to the next closest station, resulting in us misssing our train connection and having me worried that we may have to take a taxi home. So my main suggestion for others planning this is not to take transit, or if you do plan for an alternative post game. I suspect the experience would be different for any games that were more important for the fans (I.e. champion league games). We also just went in regular tourist clothes. Happy to answer any questions anyone has who is considering this.