ROME (ITALPRESS) – The Under-19 Representative Team of the National Amateur League was the protagonist of the first event of “Sport Is Respect,” a project promoted by the Council of Europe in collaboration with LND.
Coach Mauro Mazza’s lineup, meeting at the Federal Training Center in Catanzaro, took the field under the supervision of the project contact persons for a themed match. Two fifteen-minute halves (with each player assigned a secret role), sandwiched between an initial briefing and a final moment of reflection.
“Through this experiential training course,” declares Luca De Simoni, coordinator of the CSR Area of the Amateur League, “our League wants to bring the boys of the Rappresentative teams to reflect on fundamental issues concerning discrimination of all kinds, as well as to have a capacity for inclusion and sensitivity, factors that also favor the competitive growth of the team. As President Abete says, the National Amateur League moves on two legs: the social one and the competitive one. This project, which we develop with the Council of Europe, manages to merge them perfectly, with a tangible effect on the boys who play in the Rappresentative teams, 37 percent of whom, land among the professionals. We hope that, with the development of greater awareness, they can have an even stronger impact when these boys, as professional soccer players, become role models for children.”
“It is a theme-based training, so there is an innovative aspect. We are going to touch on current topics that need to be dealt with concretely, and on the field we have a chance to be concrete,” added Alberto Branchesi, coordinator of the LND Representatives, instead.
Also satisfied was Rosario Coco, project facilitator and Council of Europe trainer: “The focus of nonformal education is to initiate a process of reflection.” According to Coach Mauro Mazza, “the children participated concretely and showed sincere interest, as we ascertained in the final briefing.” The project now lands in Rome, where the Under-17 boys will be involved on Tuesday, March 11.
– Photo Spf/Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).