Hellas Verona Honored at the 2025/26 Grassroots Awards for Best Football Development Project in Schools

Verona – Hellas Verona has been awarded the SGS Grassroots Award 2025/26 in the category Best Football Development Project in Schools for its program 'Gioca con la tua classe Hellas Verona'.

The award ceremony took place on Friday, June 12, at the Auditorium of the Centro Tecnico Federale Luigi Ridolfi in Coverciano, as part of the preview event for the Grassroots Festival, now in its fifteenth edition.

The event was attended by Vito Tisci, President of the FIGC Youth and School Sector (SGS), Vito Di Gioia, National SGS Secretary, and Massimo Tell, FIGC Grassroots Manager. Also present were two FIFA representatives: former footballer Tomas Danilevicius, FIFA Regional Technical Consultant, and Raimondas Statkevicius, Amateur Football Analysis Manager.

The award was presented by Valter Bedin, SGS Regional Coordinator for Veneto, to Zaccaria Tommasi, Head of the Women's Technical Area at Hellas Verona. The project was selected for its outstanding ability to transform football into an educational, developmental, and inclusive tool, as well as for its tangible impact across the Verona area. From the 11 schools involved in its first edition, the initiative has grown to include 136 schools throughout Verona and its province. In the most recent season alone, more than 10,500 students took part, thanks to the efforts of instructors, coaches, university students, and club athletes. The final event held at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi continues to attract thousands of participants every year, confirming its status as a landmark occasion for the local community.

Today, 'Gioca con la tua classe Hellas Verona' stands as one of the most significant examples of collaboration between schools and sport in Italy, a successful model that combines the values of sporting activity with the personal growth and development of young people.