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“Whoever’s there, is there. See you at the local pitch.” On the day of Italy vs. Belgium, many people gathered in the heart of Garbatella. Hundreds of young pupils from the Cesare Battisti primary school in Piazza Damiano Sauli found a football pitch right outside their school gates. “Football returns to the streets” as the FIGC brings the national team closer to the local community in Rome. The city, which will host the Azzurri’s Nations League debut, is celebrating with a special edition of Casa Azzurri on Tour, organised alongside the Federation’s partners.
The Federation, through the work of its Youth and School Sector, joined forces with Roma Capitale and Municipio VIII to celebrate street football and the game in its purest form, giving children the chance to play for free in a specially equipped area. The area will remain open today until 20:00 CEST, on Saturday 26 from 10:00 CEST to 22:00 CEST, and on Sunday 27 from 10:00 CEST to 20:00 CEST.
“We had to make our presence felt and send a message here in the city of Rome,” said FIGC resident Giovanni Malagò. “This is a major initiative, and I would like to thank the headteacher of Cesare Battisti primary school, Maria Luisa Amadei, Club Italia and our Youth and School Sector, represented here by its president, Vito Tisci. We have been working with Roma Capitale for some time, but this is a special initiative for a thousand reasons. And the slogan is truly fantastic.” “I felt like a child again,” admitted FIGC technical director and Club Italia president Claudio Ranieri, “because I used to play in the squares too. I tell the children: ‘Dream, and do everything you can to make your dreams come true.’”
“Thank you to the FIGC, president Malagò and the entire organisation for this initiative, which began with a phone call in August,” continued Alessandro Onorato, Roma Capitale’s Councillor for Sport, Tourism, Major Events and Fashion. “To the children, I say: let’s hope this becomes a habit. We are building several playgrounds, but we love the idea behind ‘Whoever’s there, is there, see you at the local pitch’, as we say in Rome. Without having to book, children can simply come and play freely for three days. I hope we can develop this initiative with the FIGC in other districts too, so that sport can truly be for everyone again.”
“We knew we couldn’t organise all this on our own,” explained Amedeo Ciaccheri, president of Municipio VIII. “That is why I would like to thank the headteacher of Cesare Battisti school, president Malagò, the entire Federation, Councillor Onorato and the local community. This initiative captures the popular spirit of the neighbourhood and the extraordinary educational value of sport.”
Alongside the pitch, the many children also took part in keep-ups and ball skills challenges, with entertainment activities and adidas giveaways. Thanks to the partnership with Esselunga, the young pupils also enjoyed special snacks between shots on goal at the pitch where… “whoever’s there, is there”.
