The historic manager of San Giorgio Sedico, one of the main promoters of the merger with Belluno and Union Feltre, speaks.
Facts not words. Who knows how much he doesn’t like being in the media spotlight, Paolo De Cian. But “Geky”, soul of San Giorgio Sedico, willingly gives us ten minutes. He tells us why San Giorgio Sedico – and consequently also the other two – has decided to take the merger step, specifies why it is wrong to consider the path of the three individual companies concluded and invites us to place trust in the path taken.
The Dolomiti Bellunesi became a reality on Thursday evening, following the entry of new members into the former Union Feltre.
100 in total, from which the fifteen members of the Board will come out, in turn called to elect the president and the two deputies. Always everything equally divided between the various companies. Or rather, what is left, because it is really necessary to think from a single point of view, without distinguishing by colors.
There is only the new flag, ready to fly in the next Serie D championship. Let’s start with the question that many athletes from Belluno (and beyond) ask themselves.
Wasn’t it really possible to run each company on its own?
«I am speaking for San Giorgio Sedico», explains De Cian, «At an economic level it was a very expensive season, for various reasons. At the beginning, among other things, from a sporting point of view, the results did not arrive, but thanks also to the help of the coach Luca Tiozzo we were able to recover. What we have achieved since January is and will always remain something truly great. But as I told the players, everyone has dreams of growth. And together with Belluno and Union Feltre the need to join forces in order to feed them was shared ».
It is not a fundamental aspect in the current state of things, but who launched the proposal first?
«I confess that we and the Belluno have been talking for some time. Then we realized how the involvement of Union Feltre was also fundamental for the project. A merger between two teams would have left a sense of incompleteness to the planning. So instead we have brought together people who share the same desires and the same ambitions. In my opinion, a beautiful thing was done. I am really convinced of this initiative ».
Involving the fans will not be easy, especially if the results do not immediately prove right.
«I believe the Belluno Dolomites are the driving force for the entire provincial football movement. We are also organizing the youth sector so that every young person in our province can one day dream of taking the field in the first team. Maybe in Serie C … ».
Here: when will we get there?
«Let’s talk about sport: you can program whatever you want, but then you get the wrong season and your goals change… Of course, the date of the 2026 Olympics will have a particular meaning for the whole territory. And it would be nice, then, to have reached a certain level of football ».
Many regret the renunciation of individual identities.
“I think this is a wrong concept. Belluno, Union Feltre and San Giorgio Sedico are not dead, on the contrary. There has not been a handover similar to when the Sedico gave the title of Excellence to the Feltrese. Each of us will bring their own way of thinking in favor of a common goal. And engaged here are people who are convinced that they can develop the whole movement. There will be criticisms, especially at the beginning. However, this is a long-term reasoning, almost impossible to do while everyone remains on their own ».
With your (San Giorgio Sedico) regional titles you will give life to the youth academy, right?
“It is a misconception. The Academy will be owned by the Belluno Dolomites, in a sports center like that of Sedico where there is no shortage of ideas related to the further improvement of the structures ».
We close with a word mainly related to the field. In the end, the coach will be Renato Lauria, but Luca Tiozzo has long remained a strong candidate. By the way, they want him in Serie C now.
«We decided to give the project an initial Belluno connotation. Lauria played a great championship with Belluno and it was shared by all of us to entrust him with the team. Tiozzo knows this, we explained it to him. The fact remains that at the same time Luca knows how much I admire and respect him. And after all, ours was also an exceptional season… ».