MILAN - Santissimi Chiara e Francesco and San Giulio Barlassina are the lucky teams who will face each other in the 'Junior TIM Cup - Il calcio negli oratori' (Football in the parishes) at the Stadio Meazza, before the kick-off of Inter v Bologna on Sunday 10 March. Then on Sunday 17 March Oratorio Cinisello will challenge Precotto at the Stadio Meazza once again before AC Milan v Palermo. The teams were drawn against each other today in Milan, in the Sala Executive at the stadium. There was great excitement among the young footballers as, thanks to this tournament, they'll be able to live the thrill of playing on the same pitches as Serie A teams.
Signora Milly Moratti, Andrea Ranocchia and managing director Marco Fassone were there to represent Inter, while AC Milan were represented by Marco Amelia along with their CEO Adriano Galliani. Maurizio Beretta, President of Lega Serie A, Cristiano Habetswallner, who is responsible for sponsorship for Telecom Italia, and Massimo Achini, national president of the CSI, were also present. There were two famous names from the Milan clubs: Franco Baresi from AC Milan and Marco Materazzi from Inter.
The initiative presented in Milan today is part of an agreement signed recently by the Centro Sportivo Italiano, TIM and Lega Serie A to connect top-level football with the grass roots, promoting parish football and a tournament open to thousands of children from all over Italy: the 'Junior TIM Cup – Football in the parishes'. A fund has been set up for this tournament and it will be funded in part from fines imposed on Serie A players and clubs by the disciplinary committee during the season and in part from a contribution on the part of TIM as the competition's title sponsor.
The 'Junior TIM Cup - Football in the parishes' forms part of the objectives of the CSI, TIM and Lega Serie A. It is a competition for young players which, apart from the sporting aspect, is a celebration of the values, history and good practice which respect TIM's project 'Il calcio è di chi lo ama' (Football belongs to those who love it).
This 7-a-side tournament is aimed at children under 14, and will involve parishes from 16 cities whose teams play in Serie A 2012/13. To further increase the attraction of the tournament some teams will be able to play in stadiums before Serie A matches.
The final stage of the Junior TIM Cup, which will involve the best teams from their regional tournaments, will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on the occasion of the 2013 Coppa Italia final.
In order to project a positive model to be followed, the tournament will receive special visibility on social networking sites thanks to symbolic stories dedicated to fair sporting practice.
The Centro Sportivo Italiano, TIM and Lega Serie A have agreed to form a committee to establish how local resources should be assigned to support projects of certified educational value and which concern the training of sports teachers, support for youth teams, the construction of new sports facilities and the supplying of sports equipment.
