From youth football to the football of the Great: how a talent is managed

Young people in the center. Because it is from their enhancement, therefore from the nurseries and the growth of the structures and the movement dedicated to them, that the improvements that Italian football needs. As clubs and as nationals. This was the topic covered during the conference “From youth football to football of the greats – the management of talent”, organized by Lega Serie A and SFS (Social Football Summit), which involved multiple parts called in raising awareness on this relevant theme.

to the civic arena

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The place, the Appiani building of the Civic Arena Gianni Brera, was not chosen at random but selected for two reasons, one historian and the other very current. The first is because the arena in the heart of Milan hosted the first game of the national team, on May 15, 2010, between the Azzurri and France. He ended with a tennis 6-2, was another world, another football, an Italy in a white jersey, but the historicity of that debut led the organizers to dialogue there of the future young of Italian football. Right there, and we arrive at the second reason, where the Italian Cup final between Milan and Cagliari was played on the same day. Creating a bridge was necessary, a little to trace a line and understand how much has been done so far and how much the more “green” pelvis of the Italian ball can give.

De Siervo and Gravina

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The leaders of Italian football, starting from the president of the League to Ezio Simonelli who opened the conference, intervened, reaffirming the importance of focusing on the ‘young man’ assets to ensure lucid and growth programming in the championship as well as all the blue movement. “We must continue to work together – explained Luigi De Siervo, CEO of the Lega Serie A, involving the leagues -. It is the beginning of a path. We work for a single goal that is the growth of talent. Spring is the world of guys who are at the center of our interest is the final of the Italian Cup of this category we made it in Milan to guarantee participation in this event, to grow the level of youth football because it is no longer an opportunity but we must work with programming. The president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina, echoed him: “The enhancement of young people is a necessity. The data produced by Maurizio Viscidi and by Club Italia have evidenced by important trends. We recovered members, then the boys from 15-16 years represent about 30% of the Italian population in that age group. It means that our trainers have our future in hand. They must form them, educate them. The success of the U19 after 20 years, the success of the U17, always very relevant, the Under20 world vice champion: he highlighted that the best players of the tournament have always been three Italians. The opportunity is never created to become champions? We take our responsibilities. Working almost exclusively on minutage can become an alibi. We are growing on this, I’m very happy with it. ”

the other voices

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Then all the CT of blue under, from Carmine Nunziata, confident in view of the European Championship who hopes can be seen as protagonist his U21: “We have been making a good journey for many years but we do not win, this year we want to try”. An optimistic look at the future shared by Bernardo Corradi who guides the under 20: “The talent and the least democratic thing in the world, or you have it or you don’t have it. We have little time to train the boys but we have a great sense of responsibility and pride and they come when they see that they have great attachment and desire to improve. With the clubs we are doing a great job. The goal and the hope is to bring a boy from Under 15 to the major national team. Alberto Bollini who instead guides the under 19 knows that “the relationship with the boys is very linked to human and professional qualities but serves credibility. And then empathy, which rhymes with sympathy, and does not hurt”. Therefore, technical qualities but also human, as Daniele Franceschini, CT of the Under18 also pointed out: “Our role is important and delicate even if the boys are already set, but it is up to us to strengthen their strengths. It is up to us to make them feel the importance of the national team and understand that they can arrive with the constancy that goes beyond talent”.