The beginning of the 2024/25 season saw Fondazione Milan at the forefront of many activities, where sport and inclusion came together to support both the Milanese community and many young beneficiaries in Italy and abroad.
This year’s activities began with the 2024 Pre-Season Tour in the United States. New York was the center of a joint event between AC Milan, Manchester City, PUMA, and Fondazione Milan, which allowed children from local programs, including young students from the Success Academy Charter Schools supported by Fondazione Milan, to have a unique experience training with coaches from both club.
The Sport for Change program also saw significant initiatives in Europe. In September, a charity match in Tbilisi brought together Milan and Georgian legends to support projects for young people in vulnerable situations, reinforcing the power of sport as an inclusion tool. Meanwhile, the United project, launched in collaboration with Playmore!, involved over 200 young people from more than 30 countries, including asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, in sports activities, tournaments, and awareness-raising events, promoting values of multiculturalism and hospitality.
Fondazione Milan has expanded its commitment to people with disabilities through the Sport for All program. The collaboration with the National Deaf Association was renewed, with a special moment during the Milan-Lecce match, where Milan players introduced the lineup using their sign names in celebration of the International Week of the Deaf. Additionally, visits to Milanello resumed, offering special fans the opportunity to attend the First Team’s training sessions. In November, during the Milan-Empoli match, San Siro hosted a delegation of athletes from the DCPS Championship teams Vharese and Briantea84, supported by Fondazione Milan and AC Milan. Some of them had the excitement of stepping onto the field before the kickoff, experiencing a moment of great joy. On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Fondazione Milan was the Charity Partner for the Coppa Italia Milan-Sassuolo match, which was made special by the presence of many Foundation guests and activities organized to celebrate the event.
In Italy, Fondazione Milan strengthened its commitment to local communities through the Assist program, implementing concrete interventions to provide safe spaces for young people. In Vimodrone, in collaboration with Fondazione AEM, the sports space of the Kayros Association was redeveloped to support young people in difficult situations, while in Milan, a new synthetic football field was inaugurated in the Baggio district, thanks to the support of Fondazione Snaitech and Fondazione Costruiamo il Futuro. Both projects highlight the role of sport as a tool for social redemption and personal growth.
The traditional commitment to children continued with visits to hospitals in Milan and surrounding areas. Together with some players from the First Team and the Primavera team, Fondazione Milan and AC Milan brought smiles to young patients in facilities such as the Policlinico di Milano, Buzzi Hospital, the Institute of Tumors, Pio XI Hospital in Desio, and the hospital in Varese.
A few days before Christmas, other significant initiatives took place: on December 17, coach Fonseca accompanied Fondazione Milan to the Beccaria juvenile prison, where Christmas gifts were delivered, and moments of human connection were offered to those undergoing a path of rebirth.
On December 18, Fondazione Milan, along with a delegation from the AC Milan youth sector, visited the CAF Onlus Association, bringing gifts to the children of the three residential communities in Gratosoglio to bring moments of peace to those in greatest need.
Capping off these months of intense activity, the publication of the 2023-24 Social Report on World Children’s Day highlighted the achievements made through the Sport for All, Sport for Change, and Assist programs. Once again, Fondazione Milan demonstrated how sport can be a universal language for promoting inclusion, solidarity, and positive change.
