Gravina: “The very best in its sector”
Gabriele Gravina, aged 65 and President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), is an admirer of the new Mapei Football Center.
President Gravina, what do you think of Sassuolo’s new training center?
“It is the very best you can have in this sector: a modern, sustainable and fully-functional facility, which clearly indicates, even visually, the club’s strategies of focusing maximum attention on the first team without overlooking the youth and women’s teams. One outstanding feature is the position of the central building holding the offices and main team facilities, which, since it overlooks the playing fields, allows a perfect view of all the pitches. The building actually seems to be pointing out that everything is geared to sport”.
In certain circumstances, Mapei Football Center will be open to people from Sassuolo to play football. Lots of amateur footballers will get the chance to play and have fun on pitches usually used by professional players from the Italian Serie A. What do you think about that?
“It is an excellent way of creating even closer ties between the club and local community. As a whole, football has great responsibility towards civil society from which it benefits so much. In return, it must acknowledge all its enthusiasm, joy and respect. Taking part at all levels is a value the football world must safeguard and promote”.
What you think about the Mapei Group’s business philosophy in general?
“The Mapei Group invests heavily in the world of football and we are extremely grateful for this. It does so respecting certain principles of fairness and competitiveness, while also focusing on young people and investing in infrastructures. Owning its own stadium and sports center are perfect examples of this. This means it is perfectly in line with the Italian Football Federation’s guidelines for developing the whole of Italian football”.
