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The second edition of “LND Quarto Tempo – Innovation in Amateur Football” kicked off today in Ferrara, promoted and organised by the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti, with the support of the FIGC, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Italian National Institute of Health, the Municipality of Ferrara, and Ferrara Expo.
The event, from October 23 to 25, offers a rich and varied programme ranging from roundtable discussions, workshops, training sessions, institutional discussions, and presentations of social responsibility projects. The initiative brings together the main members of the football system, FIGC, the Leagues, AIC, AIAC, and AIA, along with representatives from national and local institutions.
The President of the LND, Giancarlo Abete, officially opened the event outlining its key objectives. “Our goal is to engage local leadership groups to foster cohesion and unity,” said Abete. “We want to keep working as a team within the Federation’s management, while respecting everyone’s individual roles, and to share our perspective on the challenges brought by Decree 36 on sports labour. Quarto Tempo isn’t about image, it’s about growth and dialogue. Our world may never compete in terms of communication, but we do compete on values, and our strength lies in continuing to uphold them.”
The panel ‘Opportunities and challenges in amateur football, a discussion among the federation’s members’, marked the opening of the event. Taking part in the discussion were Gabriele Gravina (FIGC), Paolo Bedin (Lega B), Matteo Marani (Lega Pro), Umberto Calcagno (AIC), Renzo Ulivieri (AIAC) e Antonio Zappi (AIA), as well as Giancarlo Abete.
"Our world is often represented as a pyramid,” stated FIGC President Gravina, “and the top can only be strong if the base is strong, supported and able to generate energy and ideas. Amateur football shows vitality every day, thanks to the work of thousands of managers, coaches, referees, and volunteers, who work tirelessly to train over 800,000 youngsters between 5 and 14 years old. Keeping a balance between ethics, economics and politics is the only way to maintain a harmonious and sustainable system.”
"Reducing football to just its financial side,” added Gravina, “would be a mistake. We need to respect those who work at the local level and recognise the social value it generates. The LND represents the backbone of the Italian football system because it promotes all aspects, not just the sporting side: its focus on values and social issues, as well as on the health and well-being of athletes, makes it clear to everyone that football is an extraordinary tool for social cohesion.”
There are many more events, running from today through Saturday, involving the FIGC. This afternoon, for example, representing the Paralympic and Experimental Football Division (DCPS), the Parma Calcio team taking part in DCPS competitions joined in with the activities.
Tomorrow, the talk ‘Winning generations: Italy’s most recent world titles’ will take place, featuring Gianluigi Buffon, Delegation Head for the National Team and 2006 World Cup champion, and Giancarlo Antognoni, Head of Delegation for the Under-21 National Team and 1982 World Cup winner. Among other topics, they will discuss their personal and sporting journeys. On Saturday morning, the panel ‘Discovering and developing talent in youth football’ will highlight how the youth sector serves as a key pillar for nurturing future professional players. Maurizio Viscidi, Technical Coordinator of Italy’s youth national teams, will take part in the discussion.