“Beyond Boundaries”: Football and Inclusion

CRAI Sport Center in Assemini hosted “Beyond Boundaries”, an initiative promoted by the Sardinia Region – Department for Labour, Vocational Training, Cooperation and Social Security – the Sardinia Regional Committee of the LND-FIGC and Cagliari Calcio, with the collaboration of Lega Serie A.

The protagonists of the day were athletes from the Extraordinary Reception Centres in Bonorva and Monastir, who met on the pitch for an afternoon centred around football, sharing and inclusion. The two teams faced each other in a friendly match, with Max Canzi and Oscar Erriu, respectively Director and Technical Coordinator of Cagliari’s Youth Sector, also present on the sidelines. Robert Acquafresca and Francesco Pisano, coaches within the Cagliari youth setup specialising in individual work with forwards and defenders, took charge of the teams for the occasion.

“Beyond Boundaries” was created with the aim of using sport, and football in particular, as a tool for integration, participation and social interaction, creating opportunities through the game for people from different backgrounds and experiences to meet, build relationships and get to know one another.

The event was attended by Ignazio Boi, representing the Sardinia Region’s Department for Labour, Gianni Cadoni, President of the Sardinia Regional Committee of the LND-FIGC, Luca De Simoni, Head of the LND Social Area, and Elisabetta Scorcu, Head of CSR Projects at Cagliari Calcio. Also present were Omar Daffe, CSR Senior Specialist at Lega Serie A, and Gian Piero Pinna, Head of the Social Area and member of the Sardinia Regional Committee of the LND-FIGC.

Lega Serie A also contributed to the initiative by providing the match kits worn by the two teams. “Beyond Boundaries” further highlights the value of football as a place for people to come together, capable of going beyond differences and creating concrete opportunities for inclusion and participation. It is a shared journey in which institutions and the sporting world work together to create opportunities, promote mutual understanding and strengthen ties with the local community and its people.

IGNAZIO BOI (SARDINIA REGION – DEPARTMENT FOR LABOUR)
“Inclusion and integration must also be promoted through regional programmes, in this case the annual immigration programme. There must always be an awareness that sport is community and embodies the true values that should be intrinsic to civil society. We would like to thank Cagliari Calcio and everyone who contributed to organising this initiative, which is an example of how much can be achieved by working together towards these goals.”

ELISABETTA SCORCU (CAGLIARI CALCIO)
“One of football’s fundamental qualities is its ability to bring together people, stories and different cultures, creating a space in which differences become an opportunity for mutual understanding and enrichment. For Cagliari Calcio, it is important to make our facilities and expertise available for initiatives that use sport as a tool for participation and inclusion. Days like this remind us of the concrete impact football can have on people’s lives, both on and off the pitch, and of how important it is to build networks with institutions and organisations throughout the local community to create opportunities for shared encounters and growth.”

GIANNI CADONI (LND-FIGC SARDINIA)
“This is not the first time we have taken part in an initiative of this importance, capable of bringing joy and enjoyment while perhaps also offering a future opportunity in Sardinian amateur football. Bringing sport and social initiatives together can provide a 360-degree opportunity for the technical development of football and the personal growth of individuals. History teaches us that projects like these can also produce future athletes and citizens of the Sardinia of tomorrow, because many of the young people we have seen on pitches over the years have subsequently settled here. And that is certainly a victory for everyone.”

OMAR DAFFE (LEGA SERIE A)
“Cagliari Calcio has always been at the forefront when it comes to best practices in inclusion and social responsibility initiatives that see sport as a vehicle for positive values, also beyond the football pitch. Seeing young people playing on a pitch that every day hosts professional footballers shows that genuine work is being done towards integration and creating new opportunities in life for many people who have already experienced difficult moments and have had to find the strength to overcome them.”