FC Miracles – giving hope to Rome's ghetto neighbourhood

Il Serpentone. The big serpent. Less than half an hour away from Rome’s city centre, one giant grey building, one kilometre long, lies in one of Rome’s most famous ghetto areas: Corviale. There, over 5,000 people live in poverty, amid drug deals, school dropouts, violence and misery. An entire village crowded into a single concrete building.

Built in the 1970s, the original idea behind Corviale was to create a place where people could live, do their grocery shopping, go to the post office or take their children to school all in one place. Fifty years later, the concept has never seen the light of day and the shops and services that should have populated the fourth floor have now been replaced by illegal and overcrowded housing conditions and drug trafficking. With a lack of maintenance and broken infrastructure (lifts not working, shortage of hot water, and much more), many inhabitants, many of whom are retired, are struggling to live in such conditions.

In 2009, one visionary man, Massimo Vallati, came up with a crazy idea: to build a joyful community centre in Corviale called Campo dei Miracoli, or 'the pitch of miracles'. Supported by the UEFA Foundation for Children, Massimo built a place where children could grow up in peace, in a safe and healthy environment built around football. But not any kind of football: il calciosociale, an inclusive version of the game, where everyone is welcome, with no discrimination.

From an empty and disused area, Massimo and the community created a structure, poles apart from the cold, grey and austere Corviale: a colourful, warm sports centre equipped with all the necessary facilities to play football.

A holistic approach to an inclusive and sustainable project

The contrast is striking. The wooden campus and the green of the three synthetic pitches stand out in the middle of Corviale’s concrete jungle. Inaugurated in February 2014, during the FIFA World Cup trophy tour, the structure has won many awards in bioarchitecture for its use of natural materials and sustainability.

Supported by local companies and associations, the campus is also equipped with a spacious indoor arena, dressing rooms, showers, a welcome desk, a meeting room and even a professional kitchen. Next to the main pitch, Massimo also planned a garden where organic fruits and vegetables are picked and cooked for the children. The garden is taken care of and handled by Vermiglia Desideri, the nonna of Corviale. She is also helped by other mothers in the neighbourhood, who all work together to serve the community.

In this small haven of peace, everyone is welcome and everyone can play: children, parents, and people with disabilities or psychological problems. The whole project has been designed to accompany Corviale’s community in their daily lives.

The reality of children living in Corviale is not the reality of every citizen of Rome. Many have lost their parents to drug abuse or gang deals and are living with their ageing grandparents. Campo dei Miracoli has become their second home and a family for those who are not fortunate enough to have one. They come after school and receive help from two teachers to do their homework twice a week. Every Tuesday, girls can attend the 'social sofa', an evening dedicated to discussions with a psychologist, followed by a shared meal, home-cooked by Massimo and the cook, made from the garden’s produce. On Thursdays, the younger ones aged 5-8 can play while their mothers can attend a Pilates class in the indoor arena. All provided by Campo dei Miracoli.

Calciosociale – the one who wins is the one who cares

Vince solo chi custodisce. Invented by Massimo, the social football rules are simple: everyone is welcome, and you can only win if you take care of your teammates, on and off the pitch. The game is not only an experiment; it’s a true research topic, followed by several renowned Italian universities, which are studying the impact of such a game on disadvantaged communities.

Teams are composed of a mix of players, all with varying physical abilities, without distinction. Each player is given a coefficient based on sporting abilities, and teams are formed with players with different coefficients to ensure fairness and equality. Each team bears the name of an important life value: humanity, empathy, respect, and so on. Why, you ask? Because the winner is the team that scores the most goals, not only on the pitch but also off it: by writing a song for the team, picking up litter in the adjacent streets or planting vegetables.

There is no referee, and each team’s coach must agree on decisions. One player cannot score more than three goals during a match. Once they have scored a hat-trick, they cannot take another shot at goal but must pass the ball to a team-mate.

“Football has the potential to be a tool of social cohesion, and calciosociale is what this is about. There is nothing like football that has this kind of reach and power,” explains Massimo.

A parent explains: “The good thing about calciosociale is that it shows everyone that you might not be an expert in everything, but everyone can contribute to the game and help the team win.”

What the future holds

Massimo’s vision is to bring calciosociale to professional football academies in Italy and beyond, including it alongside traditional training sessions. Recently, calciosociale's methodology has been tested in a football academy in Slovenia, with more to come in the future.

The objective behind scaling the project up is to change the development of players at a macro level, to help them become thoughtful human beings with a strong sense of justice and international values.

This summer, Massimo and the children headed North: the team organised a summer camp in Coverciano, Italy’s national training centre. A rare occasion for the children to get out of Corviale and see another part of their country, meet with women's and men’s national team players and even train under their guidance, before enjoying a well-deserved break.