Mapei Football Center for everybody
Built for professionals but open to amateurs. “Test-event” with the Belgian under 21 team.
Sassuolo is the only Italian professional Serie A football club in modern times to have built its own training center that can also be used by members of the general public. Top clubs from big cities in Italy and abroad do not usually allow amateur football teams to use their training facilities. Sassuolo Calcio does. Of course, everything has to be carefully planned and arranged, but it is a unique opportunity no other club offers.
The owner of the club, Mr Giorgio Squinzi, recently opened Mapei Football Center in the Cà Marta district of Sassuolo, Central Italy. So, anybody who plays football, even just for fun, can play on the same pitches as professional footballers in the Italian Serie A, thanks to an agreement between Sassuolo Calcio and Sassuolo City Council. “In accordance with these arrangements – so Andrea Fabris, Sassuolo’s General Secretary, pointed out - all kinds of people can use the synthetic grass pitch in the evening. Working with the City Council, we are also coming up with ideas and organising tournaments at Mapei Football Center for teams made up of locals or local football clubs, possibly even involving Sassuolo Calcio”.
Even though it is a football center, it can also host other kinds of events: “Again by request and in partnership with Sassuolo City Council – Mr Fabris went on to say - the Mapei Football Center could also host social events”.
Mapei Football Center is now operating at full swing. “Sassuolo first-team – so Mr Fabris noted - mainly trains on pitches 1, 2 and 3 (i.e. the grass pitches). Viewed from the main entrance, they are the playing fields on the left. More specifically, winter training will take place on the pitch with underground heating. This freeze-proof and snow-proof heated playing field will be less dangerous to use. Technically speaking, this should mean fewer injuries. On the other hand, our youth teams will train on the large synthetic grass pitch over on the right with its own stand and on two other pitches. We have a total of 21 men’s and women’s teams, starting with our very youngest players right up to Serie A professionals. We are currently working out the ideal plan for making the best possible use of the pitches, gym, clinics and facilities for holding trials for young players”.
BELGIUM-MAPEI, A LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIP
The first team to train at the Mapei Football Center after the official opening ceremony (that took place on 10th June) was the Belgian Under 21 team as it got ready to take part in the final matches of the European Championship. The team is trained by Johan Walem, who is well known in Italy after playing for a few big clubs. Talented young players being scouted by important European clubs also got to train on the Cà Marta pitches. “We are delighted to have made our facilities available to a national team”, so Mr Fabris was quick to note. Having Belgium as the Center’s first guest at the new enter should augur well for the future. Mapei has always had very close ties with Belgium and its sports people. This dates back to the days of the Belgian riders Museeuw, Steels, Vandenbroucke, Merckx and Peeters, who collected plenty of victories for the Mapei Professional Cycling Team.
