The pandemic has “eaten” a third of the young people registered

BELLUNO

The pandemic has hit hard at the level of youth football, if it is true that in Veneto there has been a significant decline in the number of members, down from the 75,000 registered before the advent of Covid-19, with all the limitations it entailed , to the 55 thousand of the current 2021/22 competitive season. A figure that the number one of the Regional Committee of the FIGC, Bepi Ruzza, in his third consecutive term, brought to the attention of the president of the National Amateur League, Cosimo Sibilia, on a “hit and run” institutional visit on Thursday evening at the Marghera headquarters. . “We have lived through a bad period”, began the top Venetian manager. “Fortunately, the business has resumed, but now it must be continued and terminated. It was not easy, because the decline in young and very young practitioners is significant, almost a third less than in 2019 ».

“SEND MORE MATCHES”

And he added: «Think, president, that we are still postponing matches for the Coronavirus due to the restrictions imposed by some Usl. Every weekend’s program is always organized with pain, but I want to look to the future with hope. We will be able to return to pre-Coronavirus levels. From July to today I have visited 60-70 companies and I believe that the enthusiasm encountered in this restart could lead to a realignment of the data, which up to now have been a bit negative ». Has the pandemic only affected the non-registrations or is a worrying disaffection for the most popular sport emerging? “No, the numbers are solely due to the pandemic effect. I understand the parents, many of their boys and girls have turned to single disciplines, such as horse riding, table tennis, tennis and swimming, finding an alternative ».

VENETO SECOND BY WRITERS

Even if the worst seems to be over, for those who drive this imposing car at national level – there are more than a million officially licensed amateurs, distributed among 64.372 teams – everyday life is never without problems. Next Thursday Sibilia summoned the members of the Board of Directors, including Ruzza himself, to Ancona, and certainly the problem of the recovery of young people will also be tackled there. Veneto is the second region for affiliates (108. 692), with 950 companies, behind only Lombardy and ahead of Lazio, it is logical that the requests coming from these latitudes are taken into serious consideration.

MANY COVID CONTRIBUTIONS

Ruzza explained another fact, which leads us to reflect: «When what happened, we spent a moment that I do not wish for anyone and sometimes I admit that we were late with our answers. But with the Covid contributions we have managed to guarantee the continuation of the activity of many, fundamental money to register for the championships. I have never seen so many requests in this sense from our companies, and this is because fortunately there is no lack of money ».