It was a special day organised by BKT, Title Sponsor of Serie BKT since six years, to celebrate the inauguration of the fourth winning project of the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative Fattore Campo, which aims to donate new playing spaces in the cities participating in the Serie BKT.
During each football season, fans have the opportunity to play in a parallel league to the one played by their favourite team. BKTpremia is in fact the official competition of Serie BKT, which allows fans to win numerous prizes, including official jerseys and balls. More you play, more points are accumulated for the special Fattore Campo ranking, which will decide the winning teams at the end of the year.
Now in its fourth year, Fattore Campo is becoming increasingly important on the Italian football scene thanks to BKT’s concrete commitment to the winning projects. Over the years, the leading off-road tyre manufacturer has financed the redevelopment of a five-a-side football pitch in the ‘Zona 167’ in Lecce, a multi-purpose and inclusive park in Cosenza and an area dedicated to calisthenics in Como. These were followed by the newly inaugurated five-a-side football pitch in Palermo‘s Sperone , the winning city of the 2022-2023 season, which is located inside the Valentino Renda sports centre, often the focus of initiatives aimed at young people from local schools and the most difficult neighbourhoods. The recently completed project resulted in the creation of a modern synthetic turf floor, the drawing of demarcation lines and the placement of new football goals.
This is a sign of continuity that confirms the synergy between BKT and the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie B, as well as the commitment of the Municipal Administration of Palermo, which together have placed a new fence and restored the entire lighting system. The support of Palermo FC is also fundamental, demonstrating the club’s strong focus on social issues following the launch of the ‘City in the community’ social responsibility project with the City Football Group.
For BKT, it is important to be present in the territory through initiatives that leave their mark and go beyond urban regeneration. This is why, in agreement with the City of Palermo, it has decided to offer neighbouring schools, but not only, the opportunity to use the new sports field free of charge during certain times of the morning. An initiative in line with BKT’s values and the company’s mission: Fattore Campo promotes sociality, inclusion and sporting activity within the school curriculum as a driver of a healthy, balanced life and promoter of positive change.
In addition to funding the redevelopment project, BKT wanted to give concrete support and enter into the social fabric of the communities in the Serie BKT, giving participants a day of celebration, inclusion and aggregation. This is how it organised an afternoon of fun and sportsmanship by inviting, in addition to all the citizens, the young footballers from the Palermo FC football school, the boys from the Palermo Rete SAI project and the nearby Sperone Comprehensive Institute, led by headmistress Antonella Di Bartolo, who was present at the event.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a moment dedicated to the game: the boys took to the field with matches and skill games organised by the five-a-side football team of the Rete SAI project, which reached the finals of the ‘Rete! Refugee Teams 2024′ competition, and a quadrangular match between the rosanero’s young players and the Institute’s students. To accompany everything, a snack station was also set up, with a gift of BKT gadgets, to share the festive spirit of the initiative.
One of the most thrilling moments of the day was when Palermo FC footballers Francesco Di Mariano, forward and nephew of the great Salvatore Schillaci, together with Palermo goalkeeper Manfredi Nespola, attended the event to deliver and sign BKT balls and be available to all present for photos and autographs.
On the occasion of the upcoming Palermo-Salernitana match, BKT will honour the former striker by highlighting Totò Schillaci’s social commitment, which led to the creation of a sports centre dedicated to children from Palermo’s most difficult neighbourhoods. A vision shared by BKT, who will remember him together with Palermo FC, inviting around 50 guests from Rete Sai and the Istituto Comprensivo Sperone to attend the match. During the teams’ entrance, the boys who will accompany the players, who will be the same ones who inaugurated the pitch this afternoon, will wear a number 19 shirt with a special graphic dedicated to Totò printed on it.
The Councillor for Sport, Sports Facilities and Tourism Alessandro Anello, the Managing Director of BKT Europe Lucia Salmaso, as well as Palermo FC’s Communication Area Manager Gaetano Lombardo, together with the Coordinator of the Youth Sector Fabrizio Giambona and the Museum Manager Giovanni Tarantino, and finally Guido Surci, Managing Director of Havas Play, the agency that has been accompanying BKT’s path in the world of sport since its arrival in Italy, were present during the ribbon cutting ceremony. Exceptional moderator was Palermo’s satirical comedian Stefano Piazza.
Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe: ‘The inauguration of this new project signed “Fattore Campo” is a confirmation of BKT’s concrete commitment to local realities, especially the disadvantaged, and its desire to make sport accessible and inclusive to everyone. The new pitch inaugurated in Palermo follows precisely this objective: to give everyone the chance to enjoy a new space for playing, leisure and conviviality’.
Mauro Balata, LNPB President: ‘The renewed partnership with BKT, which I would like to thank, has led to another important piece of inclusion and social awareness. The creation of a new sports area in Palermo represents the active and concrete commitment of teamwork through the Municipal Administration, the Rosanero club, BKT and the Lega B. A union of intentions and values that has allowed us to achieve a prestigious result for the Sicilian city, offering many young people sports and recreational spaces’.
Roberto Lagalla, Mayor of Palermo, and Alessandro Anello, Councillor for Tourism and Sport: ‘For the City of Palermo, it was a strategic and fascinating opportunity to be able to collaborate with BKT, Title Sponsor of the Serie BKT, on the “Fattore Campo” project. We are convinced that what has been completed today is not only the conclusion of an infrastructural work, but also an operation that combines two fundamental elements such as sport and social issues. Two themes that the Municipal Administration is particularly attached to. We are satisfied that this initiative has also concretely involved a great reality for the city such as Palermo FC, and we express our heartfelt thanks to the rosanero club and BKT for the sensitivity and willingness shown’.
Giovanni Gardini, CEO of Palermo FC: ‘Palermo has always been committed to channeling the passion of its fans and its social responsibility as a club towards the needs of the city. The territory needs energy and resources, and the mission of Palermo and the entire City Football Group, of which we are part, is to improve people’s lives through football, which must increasingly be a tool for collective development and the building of virtuous communities. Fattore Campo is a perfect example of how this can become a reality’.
Guido Surci, Managing Director of Havas Play: ‘We are proud to support, once again, a project of great value such as Fattore Campo. Thanks to the synergy with BKT, we continue to promote the redevelopment of sports and social spaces, and to prove more and more that sport is fundamental for the personal growth of youngsters. Havas Play is proud to accompany BKT in this path and even more so when, seeing the union of intentions of all parties involved, healthy relationships are created that generate a positive impact in the local communities’.
FATTORE CAMPO: Fattore Campo BKT – Le nostre opere per il sociale
BKT: Sponsorship BKT – Per gli appassionati dello sport (bkt-tires.com)
LEGA B: https://www.legab.it/