La FIGC – National Amateur League announced the launch of “Let's Win Together”, an initiative that aims to promote social inclusion and participation through virtual football. The official presentation, under the patronage of RAI Umbria, was held on Monday at Community Meeting Onlus of Amelia (Terni). The project was launched by the Minister of Sport and the young Andrea Abodi (pictured), together with President of the National Amateur League, Giancarlo Abete and Giampaolo Nicolasi, head of structure of Comunità Incontro Onlus. Also present at the initiative was the President of the FIGC – LND Umbria Regional Committee Luigi Repace and the President of the LND eSports Commission Santino Lo Presti. The journalist and national councilor USSI moderated the press conference Giorgio Palenga.
After the visit last July, Minister Abodi returned to Molino Silla to demonstrate his commitment against addictions and reiterate his support for projects that combine the values of sport with those of inclusion and social well-being. “Let's Win Together”, with its attention to education, responsibility and autonomy, represents a new frontier in the use of sport as a tool for personal and collective growth, even in the "virtual" mode. The activities of virtual football of National Amateur League they took their first steps during the lockdown of 2020. From that moment the championships were established eSeriesD, to eFemmin, tournaments KJV eCup and Regions, as well as two competitions partners. for total involvement of 3.500 players.
The first institution of the Third Sector to be included in the project with its own eSports team official, who will be involved in the competitions starting from February 2024 virtual football national teams of the National Amateur League, is precisely the Community Meeting Onlus. The structure, accredited with the National Health Service for the provision of residential therapeutic rehabilitation services and among the main therapeutic communities for the treatment of addictions, will make available a team entirely made up of boys and girls engaged in the rehabilitation process, for a message to raise awareness against the use of substances and gambling. For the National Amateur League the collaboration with the Community Incontro represents a step forward in the dimension of inclusion, underlining the commitment to putting the person at the center of all its activities, recognizing the power of sport, even in its digital version, as a tool for improving well-being psycho-emotional and as a path to rehabilitation and social integration.
“Let's Win Together” therefore aims to further break down physical and social barriers through the use of virtual football, offering new opportunities for those who are unable to play football in reality. The project involves the setting up of LND eSport corner in structures businesses, offering not only entertainment, but also an important educational and therapeutic tool. To involve the Incontro Community, the step was short: to face the growing increase in addiction related to gambling addiction and gambling – explained the psychotherapist Tania Fontanella – in fact, a specific area was created inside the structure, where the setting of one was recreated Slot Room, with sounds, colors and images to allow guests on the route to relive the experience of the game. According to a study conducted by the professionals of the multidisciplinary team, reliving the gaming context again represents a way for victims of gambling addiction to get used to the stimuli and to overcome the complicated phase of "craving", i.e. the unstoppable obsessive-compulsive behavior that leads to bet. The LND eSport corner which will be used during official matches, under the supervision of the multidisciplinary team operators.
The Minister of Sports Andrea AbodiSaid: “It is important to put sport at the center and the bond, in a close relationship, between the practiced one and the virtual one. When these paths are separated, problems always arise. Experienced sport cannot do without technology and this, without physical practice, risks going against sociality and also creating dangerous dependencies. I therefore believe in a harmonious relationship between these dimensions and this project, which has precisely this purpose. The name itself underlines it, we win together, not separately. Even through a digital tool you dive into life and real emotions, into sharing. The valuable initiative of the National Amateur League goes in this direction and the Community Incontro, with its usual foresight, represents the ideal starting point".
The head of the structure of Comunità Incontro Onlus, Giampaolo NicolasiSaid: “The Community operates according to a multidisciplinary approach and our recovery method is a continuously updated reference model that monitors the substances, the effects they have on a physical, psychological and behavioral level on people, adapting the resulting therapeutic protocols. “Let's Win Together” will therefore also be able to give greater impetus to the innovative Sala Slot project, born from the intuition of the professionals of the multidisciplinary team, to combat gambling and gambling addictions: thanks to the attention of the FIGC-LND it will become a vehicle for disseminate the values of a healthy lifestyle free from addictions, especially among young people".
The president of the FIGC-LND, Giancarlo FirSaid: “With 'Let's Win Together' we open a new chapter in the field of amateur sport. This project is not only an innovation in the field of sport, but a significant step towards integration and social inclusion. We are proud to start this project at Comunità Incontro Onlus, a place where sport, even digital sport, can really make a difference. Through this discipline and this project it is possible to experience the love of football even where it is more difficult to practice it and for the National Amateur League, it represents the opportunity to convey our values. We are present in force as the National Amateur League to demonstrate the importance of collaboration with the Community Meeting because we have always said, football has two legs, a competitive one and a social one. The esports leg is both competitive, understood as competition even if not on the grass field, and social, because we try to be somehow functional to a rehabilitation, inclusion and integration project. I thank all the actors of this match and Minister Abodi for his full support."
The Director of Rai Umbria, Giovanni Parapini instead he declared: “Serving the public and working solely for the common good is the unavoidable task of Rai. In the term 'Together' we have found the root and spirit of our mission which in this specific case aims to communicate positive values through information and in-depth analysis, always taking care to accompany the best projects that help and strengthen our country" .
The launch of “Let's Win Together” marks the beginning of an important collaboration between the world of sport and Third Sector institutions, setting a new standard for inclusion projects through e-sports. There Community Meeting Onlus it is only the first of the numerous structures that will benefit from this initiative, which aims to extend on a national scale. Present in the room Laura Pernazza, Mayor of Amelia and president of the Province of Terni, Claudio Leonardi, Director of addiction pathologies asl Roma 2 - President of SIPAD, Italian Society of Addiction Pathologies, the Prefect of Terni Giovanni Bruno, the provincial commander of the Carabinieri of Terni Antonio De Rosa, the Provincial Commander of the GdF of Terni Mauro March, the Police Commissioner of Terni Dr. Bruno Failla, the Bishop of Terni, Narni, Amelia Mons. Francesco Soddu, the Operations and Management Director of Ternana Calcio Giuseppe D'Aniello, the President of OIES (Italian Esports Observatory) Louis Caputo and the manager of Virtual Pro League Italia Gianmaria Pelli. For the FIGC the vice president Daniele Ortolanothe Federal Councilor Stella Frascà, the NLD vice presidents Cristian Mossino, vicar, and Giulio Ivaldi, the President of CR Abruzzo Concezio Memmo, the General Secretary NLD Massimo Ciaccolini, the Deputy Vice President of CR Umbria Claudio Tomassucci and the member of the LND eSport Commission Nicola Vilella. The FIGC – LND Umbria Regional Committee donated footballs and goal nets to the structure while the company Grabyz, sent the facility a line of revolutionary cosmetic products for gamers. These products are designed to support and enhance the gaming experience of both professional and casual gamers. The company promotes the values of games and eSports, believing in healthy competition and positive dialogue between players, brands and communities. One of Grabyz's main products is GPL cream, which improves grip on mouse, keyboard and gamepad, reducing sweating and allowing players to fully concentrate on the game. This product is useful for professional and amateur gamers, as well as hardware assemblers, athletes, musicians and people who need a secure and dry grip.
