The Deputy Minister, Bellucci, the Mayor of Milan, Sala, and the Ambassador of Fondazione Milan, Baresi, were all in attendance for the inaugural ceremony of Spazio Fontanelli, a new meeting place for over 500 young people in the northern suburbs of Milan
Milan, 15 March 2024 – Providing a place to meet up and have fun for over 500 young people from the northern outskirts of Milan and an essential reference point for their families. This is the mission that saw Fondazione Milan, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Municipality of Milan, Sport e Salute, the FIGC, the Davide Astori Association and Fondazione Aquilone take to the field side by side to bring life to Spazio Fontanelli, a redeveloped multi-sport field within a green area of Municipality 9 in Milan, which will be dedicated to the memory of Davide Astori, someone who was always close to social issues and the right for every child to be able to play their own game.
The inauguration was officially held today in the presence of institutions and representatives of the promoting bodies, such as the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Maria Teresa Bellucci, the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, AC Milan’s Honorary Vice President and Ambassador of Fondazione Milan, Franco Baresi, the National Secretary of the FIGC Youth and School Sector, Vito di Gioia, Sport e Salute Head of Social Projects and Third Sector, Stefano Gobbi, Presidente of Municipality 9 of Milan, Anita Pirovano, the General Director of the Fondazione Aquilone, Fausto Rizzi, and the Secretary of the Davide Astori Association, Bruno Astori.
The opening of Spazio Fontanelli represents a special celebratory moment for each of the entities involved, a unique opportunity for cooperation between public and private bodies to achieve a common goal.
For Fondazione Milan, this reinforces the Assist: Mission Playground project, which aims to provide young people with a structured and positive context in which to learn life values, such as respect, inclusion, integrity and collaboration. In particular, the regeneration project was made possible thanks to the international initiative “Planting New Memories”, launched by Fondazione Milan together with AC Milan during the last Christmas holidays, which actively involved thousands of Rossoneri enthusiasts and fans in various fundraising moments. One of these, “Together for Davide”, saw teaming up with the Davide Astori Association – which looks to rediscover, spread and bring awareness to ethical and moral principles, and values of sport and football in particular – for the fixture between AC Milan and Fiorentina, clubs that have accompanied the player on his journey from youth sector talent to captain. To continue to honour his memory and carry forward the commitment to the future of younger generations, Spazio Fontanelli will be dedicated to Davide Astori through a mural created by local artists from the We Run the Streets collective.
At the same time, the event present itself as the culmination of the “Sport and Integration” #IOVENGODALLOSPORT project, which falls within the scope of the project promoted and financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and developed by Sport e Salute, together with the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), for the promotion of positive fan support and a culture of inclusiveness. In fact, the prize from the #IOVENGODALLOSPORT contest won by AC Milan was allocated to the redevelopment of Spazio Fontanelli, which stimulated many sports associations to share their own sporting history and integration, and saw the Rossoneri among the winners thanks to a video project created by the its Youth Sector.
The Municipality of Milan, and in particular Municipality 9 of the Lombard capital, and the entire community have therefore been provided with a place of regeneration, a safe and inclusive environment for young people and their families in which it is possible to promote educational and social development through play and sport. Managing and bringing this space alive, in collaboration with amateur sports associations and community centres in the area, as well as the Umberto Saba middle school, will be Fondazione Aquilone, the Bruzzano Neighbourhood Committee and the Cesare Cantù Comprehensive School. Active in the neighbourhood since 1993, the Foundation has been working for over twenty years to ensure that the area is considered not as a source of problems and disadvantage, but as a context that can offer resources, solidarity and the desire to build local communities rich in relationships.
“I am very pleased to be here for this important social promotion initiative focused on inclusion and the positive values of sports. It’s a virtuous example of synergy between public, private, and social-private sectors, which this Government strongly believes in. It translates into reality the will of Institutions and civil society to respond to the needs of communities and strengthen bonds by creating spaces for interaction and relationships, harnessing the many positive energies that can emerge even from the most difficult situations. The outskirts of our cities are places full of talent, values, and ideas waiting to be unleashed, and young people need all our commitment to ensure there are increasingly more opportunities and gathering spaces to combat exclusion and the risk of degradation on the field every day.” So said Maria Teresa Bellucci, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policies, speaking this morning in Milan at the closing of the Sport and Integration project, promoted by the MLPS and implemented by Sport e Salute.
“With its football, basketball, and volleyball courts, Spazio Fontanelli will offer the boys and girls of Bruzzano a place to grow, test themselves, share leisure time, and experience many emotions. I thank Fondazione Milan, the Ministry of Labor, Sport e Salute, FIGC, Fondazione Aquilone, and the Davide Astori Association for contributing to the redevelopment of this sports area in our city, a splendid way to bring young people closer to sports activities and to continue to keep alive the memory of the captain of Fiorentina who passed away prematurely,” commented the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala.
Franco Baresi, Honorary Vice President of AC Milan and Ambassador of Fondazione Milan, stated: “For over twenty years, our Foundation has been promoting the values of the Rossoneri family in Milan, Italy, and worldwide. This occasion makes us particularly proud, as it stems from the collaboration between institutions and various social entities, united by the goal of creating a community-oriented space for sharing and playing sports: it means giving many young people the opportunity to have fun, come together, and pursue their dreams. The dedication to a man like Davide Astori fills us with even more pride: he’s a young man I had the fortune to coach when he played in our Youth Sector and who inspired many teammates, opponents, and football enthusiasts with his example.”
