Mondo Atalanta: Manzoni’s greeting to Oratorio Terno boys for Junior Cup

On Thursday, February 6, 2025, Centro Sportivo Bortolotti in Zingonia hosted the first leg of the Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out, the national youth 7-a-side soccer tournament dedicated to the oratories of the cities of the teams playing in the 2024/2025 Serie A Enilive. The initiative, promoted by Philadelphia, the Serie A League and the Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI), aims to spread the values of friendship, respect and inclusion, combining sports and education.

During the event, the Terno Oratory athletes had the opportunity to meet Alberto Manzoni, midfielder of Atalanta B.C., who discussed with them key issues such as team play, the fight against racism and the value of sport as a tool for unity. The meeting ended with a symbolic gesture: the young athletes gave Manzoni a jersey with the claim “Football is friendship,” an emblem of the competition. In turn, the Terno Oratory Captains received a personalized official Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out uniform, autographed by the Nerazzurri player.

The tournament is not limited to the playing field, but also includes educational meetings in collaboration with Lega Serie A and the National Anti-Racial Discrimination Office of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (UNAR), as part of the “Keep Racism Out” campaign. Speaking in support of the educational project were Gianpaolo Bellini, Atalanta B.C.’s Deputy Technical Manager of Competitive Activities; Lucia Castelli and Alessia Ferraboli, psychopedagogist and psychologist of the Nerazzurri’s educational staff; Clara Simonini, from Lega Serie A’s Corporate Social Responsibility Office; and Alessio Franchina, from the CSI National Presidency.

Awareness-raising activities take place directly in the sports centers of Serie A clubs, with the participation of Serie A Enilive Champions, who dialogue with young athletes together with trainers, psychologists and experts in the field. On weekends, the boys and girls in the tournament also have the opportunity to live a unique experience in the stadiums of Italy’s top league, participating in dedicated walk abouts and taking the field in the pregame of Serie A Enilive matches.

The Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out tournament officially kicked off in February with the start of the provincial stages. After that, the best teams will compete in the regional and interregional stages, until the eight finalists are determined who will fly to Rome to compete in the final act of the competition. The final will be held at the Stadio Olimpico, just before the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Final, crowning the twelfth edition of this important youth tournament.