It is well known that summers in odd-numbered years are, for the world of football and its most devoted supporters, 90 long days filled only with tedious summer friendlies; however, in the summer of 2019, all eyes of fans of the game were fixed on France, the host nation of the eighth edition of the Women’s World Cup. I do not think it is a coincidence that our women’s team debuted at the Friendship Tournament—organized annually by Inter Campus Slatina and Pirelli Slatina—exactly one month prior.

The Slatina project has always maintained a strong and priority objective of social inclusion for children coming from the city’s vast Roma community. As time passed and the project’s visibility increased, more and more girls began to frequent the clubhouse and the sidelines where their brothers and friends were training: a ball rolling off the pitch, a joke, and then the first mixed-team match began!

The next step was inevitably to reserve a playing space entirely dedicated to these girls, where they could grow as a group, become protagonists of their own free time, and strengthen their self-confidence. This adventure was made possible above all by the determination of the project’s coaches, particularly Jardel and his deep understanding of Roma culture.

Since that initial experiment, the team has begun training twice a week and strengthening their bond as a group; only the pandemic was able to temporarily halt their progress. The enthusiasm of our girls has never diminished, and since September they have resumed activities, following all anti-covid regulations… and the invaluable teachings of our coaches!