A team leaves no one behind: LND launches "Training of Trainers – Community Coach"

The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti’s new “Training of Trainers – Community Coach” course has been presented, a project that aims to change the way people experience sports starting from a clear datum: more than 75 percent of the young people involved have improved their understanding of discrimination and acquired concrete tools to counter it.

Realized in collaboration with the Council of Europe and under the patronage of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio and the Ministry for Sport and Youth, the course was created with the aim of training sports educators capable of promoting inclusion and intervening effectively in team dynamics.

The initiative is based on the results of the “Sport is Respect” project, developed in the retreats of LND representative teams between February and May 2025 and aimed at the main youth categories. The data collected show a significant impact not only on the awareness level, but also on the behavioral level. In follow-up sessions, for example, more than 95 percent of participants said they had acquired useful skills to reduce discrimination, while more than half reflected on past behaviors, recognizing the possibility of acting differently.

Particularly relevant was the work done with the youngest categories: among the Under-15 men’s age group, 100 percent of participants found the activity useful, with 95 percent now feeling better prepared to deal with incidents of discrimination or bullying. A figure that confirms the effectiveness of an educational approach based on direct experience and active participation.

The activities, developed as part of LND’s Social Responsibility Area, use nonformal education methodologies and role-playing to transform the playing field into a space for learning about rights, respect and inclusion.

The course for “Community Coach” now represents the natural development of this path: the goal is to train train trainers, capable of spreading throughout the country tools and skills to make sport increasingly inclusive, aware and responsible. A concrete investment that strengthens the role of the National Amateur League not only as a sports engine, but as a central educational actor in the growth of the new generations.

Luca De Simoni, Coordinator of the Social Responsibility Area of the LND, said, “With the course for ‘Community Coach’ the Amateur League consolidates and expands a path started in 2025 with the ‘Sport is Respect’ method, applied to youth soccer. Our goal is to promote the intrinsic values of sport, transforming the field into an educational space capable of making children reflect on fundamental issues such as discrimination, while promoting inclusion, respect and sensitivity. The results collected show that this approach raises awareness and more responsible behavior, on and off the field.”

Rosario Coco, D&I Expert, Education Through Sport explained, “The Amateur League is investing in a project that brings to Italian soccer approaches that are already consolidated at the European level. The experience of countries such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom shows that working on the footballer in a holistic way-including personal growth, relational dimension and awareness-is not an accessory element, but a concrete lever for improving individual and team performance. This means starting to consider the coach not only as a technician, but as an educator. In this perspective, sport can dialogue in a more structured way with the educational system, strengthening its social impact and contributing to the formation of people, as well as athletes.”

Bringing testimony from the field was Giuliano Giannichedda, Coach Rappresentative Nazionali Serie D, who explained, “I admit that initially I was worried at the idea of proposing an innovative method to 18- and 19-year-olds, but the results were immediate. We often think we have to train only footballers, but first of all men, and the example has to start with us. This is precisely where the value of the Lega Dilettanti’s project is grasped.”

Barbara Coscarella, LND National Representative Secretary, also recounted her direct experience with the project, pointing out how “many boys, although they had already heard about discrimination, during the game concretely felt its weight. In the days that followed, the effects of the method were evident: the interest translated into questions and reflections, with young people becoming more and more involved in the analysis of such a widespread issue.”

Antonio Parrilla, National Coordinator of the “Combating Hate Speech in Sport” project, highlighted the urgency of the issue, stating, “Countering hate speech in sport is fundamental today. The phenomena of discrimination present in society are inevitably reflected in sports as well, amplified by its emotional nature and media visibility. This is why it is urgent to take action, and the Community Coach course is a concrete response in this direction.”

Linked in, Gabriela Matei, Senior Project Officer of the Sport Division of the Council of Europe, reiterated the importance of the project’s continuity: “From the beginning we were aware that the two years of the European program would not be enough to accompany such a profound process. Ensuring its continuity was therefore essential. Today we can say with satisfaction that the path continues, producing concrete and significant results. The work carried out in Italy is an important example: it promotes respect, inclusion, and diversity, in line with the principles of the Council of Europe and the main international conventions, integrating social education directly into sport.”

On the same line is Paulo Gomes, Head of the Saint-Denis Committee and Secretary of the Council of Europe, who stressed that “this project represents good practice at the European level, fully consistent with the principles of the Council of Europe in the fight against all forms of discrimination. Its value lies in its focus on young people, its work with local communities, and its investment in the training of key figures such as coaches and sports workers. Italy is demonstrating how to translate these principles into concrete actions, generating a real and lasting impact.”

Finally, Mattia Peradotto, UNAR Director, highlighted the social value of the initiative, explaining that “this project goes beyond sports performance and is part of a fundamental area of prevention. Sport amplifies the vulnerabilities of our time, but it also represents one of the most inspirational contexts. The National Amateur League is building a true prevention infrastructure: communities that are more cohesive are also those that are able to express the best performance.”

In the photo Clarissa Vatti, Agipress journalist, Gaia Simonetti and Verdiana Corbianco, communication Area CSR LND.