The result of the recent European Championships, where Italian footballers disappointed, did not overshadow the activity of the Coverciano Technical Center, which trains the best coaches and develops solidarity projects especially for young people.
The complex, defined as “Football University”, was born in 1958 from an idea of the Italian Football Federation to train coaches and other professionals, such as sports coaches, sports directors, observers and match analyst. This last figure is highly sought after by club, because it analyzes the behavior of the players to correct any possible errors.
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The European tournament, despite the crisis of our national team, has consolidated the reputation of the Centre as a place for transmitting football knowledge. In fact, Turkey and Slovakia, modest teams but trained by coaches from Coverciano, played a quality match.
Top coaches study at Coverciano (photo by Nguyen Thu Hoai from Unsplash)
The Centre is the “House of the Azzurri”, which hosts the national teams, but also the “House of Solidarity”, which has welcomed the sick, orphans, refugees, as well as students on work-study programmes from Caivano, a municipality that has become an emblem of marginality.
Coverciano trains the best coaches
The FIGC brings together football clubs and through the technical sector, made up of coaches, doctors and other professionals, studies, improves and disseminates the playing technique, also dealing with social, cultural, scientific and economic aspects. In Coverciano, the Federation therefore trains the best coaches and promotes solidarity.
Many graduates emerged from these classes, such as Carlo Ancellotti, who defended a thesis on offensive play in 1997. He, the only five-time winner of the highest competition between European clubs, has also won 29 national trophies, between Italy, Spain, Germany, France and England.
Vincenzo Montella and Francesco Calzona also come from Coverciano and took part in the last European Championship. Montella, who narrowly missed the semi-finals as coach of Turkey, graduated in 2011 with a thesis on athletic training. Calzona, who lost to finalists England with Slovakia despite playing well, presented a thesis in 2016 on defensive training.
Coverciano between training and solidarity
Training the best coaches and director, In addition to carrying out solidarity initiatives, Coverciano has sports and educational areas. The former include 4 regular football fields, a smaller one, a 5-a-side football field and a gym. The Aula Magna, 3 other rooms and the Auditorium are used for teaching.
The complex includes a guest house, where teams, coaches and guests of solidarity projects stay, as well as a clinic. There is also the Football Museum to pass on sports memories and preserve souvenirs.
During Covid-19, the Center welcomed patients in quarantine, then welcoming 8 orphans from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict from Kharkiv. In addition, a solidarity project provides for 3 Afghan footballers who fled Kabul to be supported by the best coaches of Coverciano.
Solidarity in Coverciano for Afghan women footballers (photo taken from the FIGC website).
The Centre also opened its doors to students from the Morano Hospitality Institute in Caivano, allowing them to alternate between study and work. Some boys carried out cooking and catering activities for the Azzurri before the European tournament. Director Eugenia Carfora, who runs the Institute with great passion, reported to BuoneNotizie.it that these children: “They are born great and must have opportunities, to bring out their talents and their dreams.” He added that: “THE Sport is an educational substitute, it is a training ground for life, it is based on rules that children must conform to. Those who live in fragile areas must be involved in order to feel important and to strengthen their self-esteem. It is necessary to awaken in him the desire to follow virtuous models, because then he will acquire the awareness that sacrifices pay off.
Coverciano, home of the best coaches, confirms the importance of sport for young people, by stimulating their commitment and transmitting to them the values of inclusion and solidarity.
