Women’s grassroots: a series of winning choices

A season truly rich in satisfaction for the women’s grassroots sector has just come to an end. In concrete terms, this satisfaction is reflected in growing numbers and in increasingly positive feedback from our young players and their families, whose level of involvement has steadily increased, also thanks to a number of recent innovations that are set to last and develop over time. One of these – perhaps the most strategically ambitious – is multidisciplinarity: the decision by those in charge of the sector to broaden the educational offer by organising sessions involving other sports in addition to football. Not with the intention of replacing football – ça va sans dire – but rather with the aim of providing a wider range of experiences and knowledge for aspiring footballers. Another innovation is the introduction of indoor gatherings, organised in the colder months. This has enabled coaches to avoid any break in activities due to weather conditions, while also allowing them to explore new avenues in planning training sessions, introducing elements which would have been difficult, if not impossible, to implement outdoors and which have been widely appreciated. This layering of opportunities offered to grassroots players will not end here: it will continue with improvements to what is already in place and with new ideas that are about to be put into practice. All this is happening while the San Marino women’s National Teams are flourishing, providing inspiring points of reference for the girls who, in the not-too-distant future, will swell their ranks. Summer now brings a short break, although football – as we know – never really stops, and even a ball rolling in the back garden is enough to rekindle its magic every time. In any case, for those in charge of the sector this will not be a break, but an opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and to plan with renewed enthusiasm what will be offered next season. It may seem far away but, when all is said and done, it really isn’t.