PERO – The Inter youth academy 2016/17 was officially presented at the Atahotel Expo Fiera in Pero on Monday evening.
Youth academy director Roberto Samaden said a few words to kick things off: "I’d like to thank you all for being here. We’ve brought the whole youth academy family together.
"The idea for this evening was born during the tour of the United States, in New York, when we unveiled the organisational chart for the youth academy. Our team is now made up of 216 people who work with our youngsters on a daily basis.
"After speaking with president Erick Thohir and Michael Bolingbroke, we decided it was a good idea to begin the new season by presenting all the various areas of the youth academy. This is a great gesture from the club and confirms how central the youth academy is to the project.
"Every representative of our world is here tonight, including figures from Inter Academy and Inter Campus. They are testament to our incredible growth."
Next to speak was CEO Michael Bolingbroke: "As CEO it is a pleasure to be here. I’m truly proud to be at the top of a club with a youth academy recognised as one of the most important and most successful in Europe. You should be proud of the work you do every day."
Vice president Javier Zanetti also took to the floor: "I’ve been part of this club for 21 years now. Inter has given me extraordinary things and in turn I’ve been able to identify four key values which set this glorious club apart.
"First up is family, because we are one big family and this evening is proof of that. Next is the idea of being a global organisation, because we are international by nature – it’s part of our identity. Inter is also social: we want to be there for everyone and that’s why Inter Campus was founded in 1997, a movement that helps all children to grow via sport and education.
"Inter is also about being resilient. Last night’s win showed that – it was a massive victory that we all desperately wanted.
"Over the years our youth academy has enjoyed incredible success and that is down to your hard work more than anything else."
Applause then rang out as president Erick Thohir got up to speak, accompanied by Steven Zhang – who was there to represent Suning Group – and Inter advisor Nicola Volpi.
"We’re honoured to be here because the youth academy is very important for us,” began Thohir. “In recent years Inter has invested so that the project can grow. We’ve invested in the infrastructure of the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti, building pitches for the Primavera.
"We’ve invested in Inter Academy, a project which is exporting our philosophy around the world. We believe that Inter is part of society and everyday life. That’s why it’s important that the club believes in young people and believes in Inter Campus in order to find the right balance between sport and community. And that’s why I continue to insist with our management team that we continue to support this project, which is fundamental for our club.
"We’re very happy with the youth academy we have today but that’s not to say we’re stopping here, because we want to build the best youth academy in the world. One of the challenges that awaits us in the next two years is certainly the construction of a training centre for the youth academy. It’s a dream that the whole management team shares and must be one of our objectives for the future.
"I’d like to share some of Inter’s values with you. We believe in team work, in being solid and transparent, in having a balance between managing the club and discretion. The youth academy is successful because we have a magic formula – working together to support the project.
"I’m here to remind you once again how much we believe in you. It’s important to work as a team and the result of last night’s match against Juventus proves that."
One man who knows all about the Inter youth academy’s ability to develop youngsters as players and people is Marco Andreolli, who also spoke: "I want to thank director Roberto Samaden for inviting me here this evening. It’s an honour to be here to share my journey. I believe my story is testament to the extraordinary work our youth academy does.
"There are lots of people working behind the scenes who are absolutely vital for all the young players who join this club. The most important thing is growth, not just professionally but as human beings too.
Gianfranco Matteoli – who recently re-joined the club as a youth scout – received a surprise during the evening as Francesco Toldo welcomed him into the Inter Forever family.
"It’s an amazing feeling to be back here," said Matteoli. "I had a wonderful experience at Inter and I hope to achieve big things in my new adventure here too."
Toldo also said a few words about Inter Forever’s newest recruit: "We have lots of big names in our team, but Gianfranco will bring added quality. I also want to take this opportunity to hail the work everyone here does for our young players every day. These people have incredible professional and personal qualities – and as a parent I know just how important that is."
