Mediobanca Group, Milan City Council and Cus Milano unveil new rugby and volleyball pitches at the Sant'Agnese parish oratory in Quarto Oggiaro
The initiative forms part of TOGETHER/INSIEME, the project aimed at promoting social inclusion through
TOGETHER/INSIEME, the Mediobanca Group project launched in conjunction with CUS Milano Rugby and Milan City Council to promote sport for young people forming part of the weakest areas of society at risk of exclusion, just a few months after its official launch, is celebrating a major new milestone: the unveiling of ew rugby and volleyball pitches at the Sant’Agnese parish oratory in the Quarto Oggiaro are of Milan.
In attendance at the unveiling of the new facility, which took place this afternoon, were the Mayor of Giuseppe Sala and the Councillor for Sport Roberta Guaineri, the Chief Executive Officer of Mediobanca Alberto Nagel and representatives of CUS Milano Rugby.
The three-year project, which started in October 2017 from the Milanese suburb of Quarto Oggiaro, is addressed to pupils attending primary and secondary schools located in certain peripheral areas of Milan. In the coming years, the project will also run in the Via Padova and Baggio areas, involving up to 1,500 children and young people, boys and girls, aged from 8 to 14 years.
The activities, arranged and managed by CUS Milano Rugby through a team of educators and qualified technical staff under the co-ordination of Diego Dominguez, will involve the classes of at least three of the area’s schools trying their hands at rugby, volleyball and athletics, with afternoon classes running the whole school year. The sporting activity will be assisted by the presence of a sports psychologist and doctor to certify that the children are able to take part in the sports. Participants will be given all materials necessary to take part in the various disciplines.
The Chief Executive Officer of Mediobanca, Alberto Nagel, emphasized that: “The Mediobanca Group has always been keen to play an active role in the cities where it operates. With the TOGETHER/INSIEME project, our attention is once again focused on the city of Milan and the issues of social inclusion affecting it, in this case to support the development of the new generations. Contributing to the creation of new sports facilities is one of the starting points for sport to become a significant driver in promoting socialization and to help guarantee a better future for our young people”.
“I am delighted to see how the TOGETHER/INSIEME project is taking shape”, said the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala. “The rugby and volleyball pitches we are unveiling in Quarto Oggiaro today are the best and most concrete testimony to this. Investing in sport – and sport in the community outside the immediate city centre – is certainly a challenge. More than a challenge, though, it is also an opportunity: an opportunity to allow the young people of our city to grow up and develop in a stimulating and positive environment, learning values which sport alone is able to teach. For this reason I should like to place on record again my gratitude to Mediobanca and to CUS Milano Rugby for all their hard work in these months, and for all the significant good work that we will to do together in the future, both here and in the areas of Baggio and Via Padova which are our focus”.
Sergio Vicinanza, President of CUS Milano Rugby, said: “We are very pleased with what has been done so far. The work on the buildings has made the facilities welcoming and user-friendly for the youngsters who will be coming here to play sport with us. The support which the families in the area are showing for the Together/INSIEME project, and the enthusiasm of the participants in the volleyball and rugby courses we are running give us great confidence for the future.”
The Together/INSIEME project confirms the Mediobanca Group’s commitment to supporting sport, which means promoting values such as respect for the rules and the opponent and healthy and fair competition. This commitment has been expressed in a variety of initiatives over the years, including the Mediobanca Group Sport Camp, which in 2017 facilitated a week of sport and healthy competition in the “Cesare Beccaria” Institute for Young Offenders in Milan. The Mediobanca Group has also been a partner of the Italian Paralympic Committee since 2016.
Milan, 3 May 2018