LIVING THROUGH SPORTS: HOW TO TURN A DREAM INTO REALITY

On Saturday, May 13, at Via Calabiana 6 in Milan, the now-famous University Festival organized and directed by University Network took place. This event is increasingly famous and renowned, the largest university gathering in the country, and the first attempt to combine networking, innovation, discovery, and entertainment in a single day and location!

Among the various opportunities offered by the Festival to us students was the chance to attend conferences with famous figures from the worlds of art, fashion, innovation, and especially sports.

The opening panel could not have been stronger or more engaging, titled “Living Through Sports: How to Turn a Dream into Reality.” The panel featured four protagonists from the world of sports who have been able to turn their careers in sports into a reality. These included Sky Sport journalist and reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, the sports, tourism, and youth policies councilor for the Municipality of Milan Martina Riva, former footballer and current President of the Technical Sector of the FIGC Demetrio Albertini, and the Innovation Manager for Juventus Football Club Carolina Chiappero. The moderator’s role was entrusted to the well-known influencer Himorta. Each of us, as children, dreamed and believed we could have a life in the world of sports, whether as a football player or a tennis player, or perhaps as a journalist; the title of this panel brought us back to those days when that desire was strong in all of us, showing us that it is possible to make it a reality.

After an opening thank-you to Martina Riva, as a representative of the Municipality of Milan, for allowing the creation of such a well-attended event, and her statements expressing strong support for us young people, our training, and our involvement because the world is the future and we are the future, the panel officially began.

The first guest to be involved by Himorta was former Milan player Demetrio Albertini, who shared how his dream of becoming a footballer was born when he took his first steps and how, thanks to sacrifice and luck, he was able to break into such a complicated world, ultimately having a career envied by many. Albertini presented his life as something characterized by the number 17, as his career as a footballer began at 17, ended after another 17 years, and now he has been in a managerial role for 17 years. He highlighted how the two positions he has occupied are opposites, particularly in how he entered this second world without having completed the necessary studies, initially facing difficulties that were overcome successfully until he became President of the FIGC Technical Sector. He pointed out that in the world of sports, there are numerous figures such as athletes or coaches, but very few managers, encouraging us to pursue our dream of working in sports through this alternative path.

Next, Gianluca Di Marzio spoke about the “difficulties a child can encounter” due to the repeated relocation from city to city because of his parents’ work (his father was a football coach). Di Marzio shared how, in his case, the pros outweighed the cons. He was able to experience different realities and cultures, living in both northern and southern Italy, and this acquired knowledge proved very useful for his future. He also encouraged us to be enterprising, to study, to think about building strong foundations for our future, but not to neglect the spirit of initiative and curiosity, which can be crucial for achieving our dreams. When asked about the most beautiful moment of his career as a journalist, he mentioned the interview he conducted with Diego Armando Maradona in 2016.

Following this, Carolina Chiappero took the floor to share her career and how she entered the global brand Nike, which allowed her to work as a partner for Juventus Football Club. However, after the contractual relationship between Nike and Juventus ended, the club strongly wanted to retain the group of managers who had worked through Nike, including Carolina. She also showed how sport is not just what we witness during matches or games — that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as underneath, there are thousands of people working to create brands and innovation.

Finally, Martina Riva spoke about the issues that an institution like a municipality must handle daily. She does not work directly in the world of sports, but as it should be, the city of Milan cares deeply about sports. She reminded us of the great effort the city is putting into the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, now only 1000 days away.

Following an intervention from one of our association members, a lively debate opened up about the sport/business relationship, as our Filippo presented the issue as a concern about what might happen to the world of sports with the unstoppable rise of business. The guests believed the issue was not about stifling the wave but rather that football is business, and sport is business. We must be able to equip ourselves and immerse ourselves in this duality and make the right trade-off. Di Marzio encouraged us once again to innovate and invent something to stand out because this business side of sports should help us, not hinder us.

The panel then concluded. It was a great experience, very encouraging and full of emotion. Listening to people who have managed to make sports their life is not something you experience every day, and it keeps the flame of hope alive in us. After all, dreams are made to be realized.

by Christian Coppola