Social sustainability

Twinning project

The Twinning Project, which began in the United Kingdom and which Roma was the first to inaugurate in Italy, involves twinning professional soccer teams and penal institutions to provide concrete opportunities to better prepare inmates for release, to find employment, and to reduce recidivism rates, which are a huge cost to the country and local communities. The agreement calls for AS Roma coaches to travel weekly to Rebibbia Prison to teach a basic course for both inmates and female inmates who want to learn the skills to train as future coaches. The classes will cover various topics including: improving communication and reflection, teamwork, planning, leadership, conflict resolution, and improving physical and mental health.

Guida in Sicurezza (Keep Life Onside) Project

AS Roma, together with the Automobile Club Roma, is engaged in a campaign to promote a safe and responsible driving style with the support of Toyota. More than 13,000 accidents occur every year on the capital's roads, with more than 16,000 injured and about 150 deaths, of which just under a third are pedestrians. Among the causes. distracted driving and failure to observe road signs account for more than half of the incidents, with speeding occupying first place. This tragic balance sheet, which unfortunately sees figures rising, especially regarding pedestrians and young drivers, has prompted the Club to bring together a number of stakeholders to try to take concrete action on this issue of great social importance through the 'Keep Life in the Game' campaign, aimed at promoting safe and responsible driving through training campaigns aimed at young people.

The training activities are carried out by the Automobile Club Roma, an institution committed to the promotion of road safety, through a method that provides interactive theoretical lessons and safe driving tests in special areas set up, under the coordination of ACI Ready2Go trainers and with the support of Toyota and Kinto (AS Roma Mobility Service Provider), putting into practice an engaging, proven and particularly effective methodology for learning the rules of good driving.

AS Roma has also dedicated a fund in memory of the young Roma fan Francesco Valdiserri, who was run over and killed by an out-of-control car in an accident in October 2022 while walking along the pavement with friends. This contribution will allow the three institutes involved to continue all the training and awareness-raising activities that characterise the project with future high school students in the coming school year.

At Fan School

Starting by listening to the needs of the territory and those of individual schools, in 2015 AS Roma launched the “Scuola di Tifo” ("Fan School”) initiative, aimed at the city's students to provide them - through a series of workshops with the players in attendance - with the tools to understand and address socially important issues such as bullying, racism, environmental education and inclusion.

At the end of this series of meetings, the Club donates educational and sports materials to the schools involved.

The project, dedicated to the memory of Willy Monteiro (the boy brutally killed in an act of bullying in Colleferro in 2020), has two phases:

On the first day, a preschool educator, starting with the concept of fair play, addresses the established theme with the students. The class then makes a banner representative of the message conveyed, with the support of professional cartoonists.

On the second day, the students demonstrate what they have learned and accomplished in the educational phase to an AS Roma soccer player, who awards them prizes and a diploma to celebrate the event.

Football with Heart

This project, carried out continuously since 2018, is aimed at soccer schools and amateur sports associations in the Capital with the goal of involving them in training on first aid techniques, and the use of defibrillators, as the timeliness of rescues can prove to be crucial in saving a life. Certified workers are in charge of holding easy-to-learn classes for the children and instructors of the soccer schools involved, carrying out some practical exercises on life-saving manoeuvres and imparting the principles of first aid. The schools included in the program then receive a number of defibrillators as a donation from the Club, after which five individuals at each facility are trained to use them.

The Club, which has always been committed to health, thus provides an opportunity for young students to begin studies on how to cope with emergency situations, and learn essential life-saving measures.

Amami e Basta

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on November 25, 2020, the Club and Roma Capitale launched the “Amami e Basta” ("Just Love Me") awareness campaign.

The project began in response to the increase in domestic violence cases during the Covid-19 lockdown, and has grown in importance over the years.

The first activation envisaged by Amami e Basta was the creation of a calendar, with the participation of the wives and girlfriends of the Giallorossi footballers, the proceeds of which were allocated to the creation of training courses for women who had suffered violence who were being hosted by women’s refuges, or entrusted to social services. These are a fundamental resource for victims to be able to enter the world of work and achieve economic independence from the reported aggressor.

An additional practical activity in support of the community was carried out through the donation of gynaecological beds and dividers to each ASL (health centre) in the area to ensure a reserved examination pathway for abused women who come to first aid facilities.

As an awareness-raising activity, the Club periodically organizes educational meetings in schools and has taken steps to install numerous red benches in the various municipalities of the Capital to send a visible signal about the importance of combating gender-based violence.

In addition, at the Roma-Zorya Luhansk matches of the UEFA Conference League and Tavagnacco-Roma match of the Women's Italian Cup, players and players wore a patch on their shirts with the anti-violence and anti-stalking number 1522, promoted by the Department for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The "Amami e Basta" project then includes a series of ongoing activities to create new resources for the city's anti-violence centres and keep the level of attention in the community high. These include charity padel tournaments at major sports clubs and gadgets dedicated to fundraising.

Additionally, to foster a culture of prevention, thanks to its deep-rooted connection with the local area, the club acted as a centralised resource to create a network of health facilities in the city that, on International Women's Rights Day on March 8, offered women a variety of free services and screenings such as gynaecological examinations, mammograms, pap smears, and colon screenings.

Superiamo gli Ostacoli (Let's Overcome Obstacles)

AS Roma has taken concrete action in support of the disabled and vulnerable groups through the "Let's Overcome the Obstacles" program, named after a popular Roma fan song.

For the benefit of deaf fans, the Club provides a simultaneous sign language translation of the pre-match press conferences on its official channels.

Meanwhile for blind spectators radio transmitting equipment has been provided in the Olympic Stadium, so that they can follow the match in the stands via a dedicated commentary.

With the "Unstoppable" program, implemented with the help of Club partner Toyota KINTO and the Arvalia Civil Defense organisation, AS Roma provides disabled fans and their companions with a bookable transportation service during matches at the Olympic Stadium. Volunteers organize the transfer of fans by accompanying them to the stadium, assisting them during the match, and returning them to their homes using dedicated vehicles. In addition to support activities for the transport of disabled people during matchdays, the project includes the provision of transport during the week to support the community, particularly anti-violence centres, family homes, senior centres and residences housing families and children undergoing treatment at cancer facilities.

La Locanda dei Girasoli

"Locanda dei Girasoli" (“Sunflower Inn”) is a popular inclusive project in Rome, which operates in the restaurant business and involves people with Down syndrome, with the aim of promoting their employment through individual training.

The Club has decided to show its support by employing some of the young people involved in the project.

In order to contribute to the employment of the young people involved and ensure the survival of the project challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, the Club has showed its support by employing some of the young people from the Locanda dei Girasoli in the catering service of the hospitality areas of the Olympic Stadium.

"UEFA Outraged" educational project

"Outraged" is a docuseries created by UEFA to combat discrimination by providing educational materials. AS Roma screened these documentaries during school youth activities to create awareness about issues such as sexism, homophobia, and racism, with a focus on what it means, specifically, to be a refugee and to play soccer.

The "Outraged" educational project has been included as part of the school activities of athletes attending the high school inside the Roma Sports Center and involves not only Primavera and Under 18 players, but also all the other children attending the institution.

"Calcio Insieme"

"Football Together" is an experimental project established in 2015 by the collaboration between the Club and the Integrated Football Academy to teach soccer to boys and girls with intellectual disabilities, mostly with autism spectrum disorder, but also with Down syndrome, Asperger's, dyspraxia, and Sotos syndrome.

The project aims to offer children an opportunity to express themselves through sports, and is an opportunity for social integration that promotes the development of different forms of language and the enhancement of the quality of their motor skills through the game of soccer. The ultimate goal is not just to improve the quality of their lives through continuous sports practice over time, and to teach an appropriate model of soccer, but also to build a community in which school, family, sports organization and staff can feel part of a common project in which children with intellectual disabilities are at the centre.

AS Roma for Special Team

AS Roma officially adopted its Special team in May 2023. The athletes, currently 12 players between the ages of 20 and 30, wear the Giallorossi jersey and participate in tournaments organized by the Paralympic and Experimental Football Division of the FIGC, thanks to the adoption formula.

The adoption is part of the broader project of inclusion of people with disabilities through sport and is part of the Club's sustainability strategy, which aims to promote a message of valuing sport as an extraordinary tool for integration and social inclusion.

AS Roma academy: Blind Football Team e Roma Amputee's Team

Created in December 2021 to unite under the giallorossi colours, young people with amputations, deformations, and agenesis of limbs who share a passion for the game of football, “Roma Calcio Amputati” has worked to establish itself as a point of reference for all those people who, regardless of their physical condition or ability, want to experience life and sport to the full. Entry into the AS Roma Academy means working with even greater determination, responsibility and self-sacrifice to achieve all the goals. Its primary goal is to be a sports centre that generates value in the social and sporting fabric of the Capital.

In October 2023 the Club officially welcomed the ASD Disabili Roma 2000 Blind Football into its Academies. The team participates, at a competitive level, in the Italian championship and in the Italian 5-a-side football cup for the fully blind, promoted by the Italian Paralympic Sports Federation for the Visually Impaired and the Blind (F.I.S.P.I.C.) recognized by the Italian Paralympic Committee.

Lega Serie A - Junior TIM Cup

Every year the Club supports the Junior TIM Cup, the under-14s football tournament in which representatives of cities whose teams play in Serie A, which is aimed at raising awareness of anti-racism and equality issues, organised by Lega Serie A and Centro Sportivo Italiano, with a training session and a stadium experience for boys from the teams taking part in the tournament.

AS Roma Social Camp

AS Roma Social Camps are held every year in the first two weeks of July and are attended by children from disadvantaged groups in the city, nominated by the Assessorato alle Pari Opportunità (Department of Equal Opportunities) of Roma Capitale, the Forum del Lazio Terzo Settore (Lazio Volunteer Forum), Caritas, and suburban parishes. In addition to the sports activities conducted by the AS Roma Camp coaches, the programme also includes lessons on journalism held by notable figures from the national press and television, sustainability lessons held by teachers from the regional authority Roma Natura, and educational sessions aimed at combating bullying and cyberbullying.

Attività di prevenzione: corsi BLSD e screening cardiologici

Roma is not just a team on the pitch but also off the sports field, supporting the community. For this reason, among the initiatives that the club carries out in support of its fans and community network are a series of free services in the name of prevention and health, organised at the Stadio Olimpico in the pre-match period.

Thanks to the collaboration with Mater Dei General Hospital, a series of free cardiology screenings were offered to Giallorossi fans, in addition to free BLSD (Basic Life Support Defibrillation) courses in collaboration with Arvalia Civil Defence.

The aim of the courses is to transmit to an increasing number of people the basic ideas needed to intervene promptly in the event of choking or a cardio-respiratory emergency.