Milan, March 24, 2023 – A delegation from AC Milan, led by President Paolo Scaroni, together with Fondazione Milan’s General Secretary, Rocco Giorgianni, is currently on an institutional visit to New York.
Being present in a strategic territory such as the US market is a significant opportunity to share the vision and values of AC Milan, a large social and cultural institution that unites over 500 million fans worldwide, also thanks to the work of Fondazione Milan. The Club is aware of its deep responsibility towards its stakeholders, supporters, and the communities in which it lives and operates.
This intense journey strengthens the Rossoneri bond that connects Milan to New York, Italy to the United States, where AC Milan is the first Italian football brand in terms of brand strength (YouGov Football Index, 2022 data) with 43.2 million fans, mostly concentrated in New York and Los Angeles (Nielsen, 2020 and GWI, 2022 data).
During their stay in New York, President Scaroni will be one of the main speakers at the annual international event “Change the World – Model United Nations,” organized by the Associazione Diplomatici (Diplomatic Association). The event will host more than five thousand students from all over the world until Sunday, March 26th, in the United Nations’ Headquarters, with the aim of encouraging young people to discuss the main topics on the global political agenda.
The President has been invited to the event, which has hosted excellent personalities such as Bill Clinton, Liliana Segre, Michel Platini, Andrij Ševčenko, and Bebe Vio over the years, to speak to the university students present in the General Assembly Hall on topics related to international geopolitics and AC Milan’s role as a corporate citizen, focusing on the work of Fondazione Milan, the Club’s public charity that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
“I am very proud to represent AC Milan and the values expressed by this Club on this journey, which is first and foremost a social and cultural institution, with millions of supporters worldwide – commented the President of Milan and Fondazione Milan Paolo Scaroni –. But above all, I am pleased to have the opportunity to engage with younger generations on such exciting and central issues for the future of our society, and to see concrete projects for the future of young people realized through Fondazione Milan, such as the one together with Success Academy Charter Schools in Harlem.
“In the historical moment we are living in – continued the President – it becomes a priority to invest in the education of young people, in order to direct a future based on peace, international cooperation, and social inclusion. The Club, together with Fondazione Milan, which in twenty years of activity has demonstrated how sport can prove to be an effective educational vehicle, is committed to providing the necessary tools to generate a concrete impact on the lives of new generations and on that of the entire community.“
During the trip to New York, the Club and Fondazione Milan also renew their support for the Soccer Program for the next season, an initiative carried out by the Success Academy Charter Schools in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. The project, which has involved Fondazione Milan since 2021, aims to give all children, regardless of their background and economic possibilities, the opportunity to take to the field and include soccer in their school routine, aiming at the development of the individual and, at the same time, a positive and inclusive evolution of the entire US soccer movement.
The support for the Soccer Program, which helps over 5,000 students mainly from low-income families, is part of Fondazione Milan’s broader Sport For Change program, which includes projects aimed at young people in educational poverty and who do not have the same opportunities as their peers, so that – using sport as a tool for education – they can grow and express their potential.
Finally, an important stop for the Club in New York will also be a meeting with a representation of the AC Milan Club New York City, during which President Scaroni will have the opportunity to visit the Football Factory at Legends in Manhattan, where the fans gather every week to support the Rossoneri. A moment to consolidate the emotional bond that connects and moves millions of Milanisti fans around the world.
