Brescia Calcio have been engaged in joint ventures with local football nurseries for more than a year now.
On the initiative of Brescia owner Luigi Corioni, the Serie B club has agreements in place with Ħamrun Spartans, San Ġwann, Swieqi United, Xewkija Tigers, Kerċem Ajax and St Lawrence Spurs and Għarb Rangers.
Brescia’s influence has already started to reap dividends with a few of our young players travelling to Italy for trials and training camps.
The fruitful partnership has not gone unnoticed and recently also caught the attention of officials from Brera Calcio, a Milan-based club with a rich knowledge of youth football and who boast former Inter great Evaristo Beccalossi in their technical staff.
Giorgio Abeni, Brescia Calcio projects manager, told a news conference in St Julian’s yesterday that their experience here has been very positive so far.
“We have been established in Malta and Gozo for the last 14 months now and we can say that our efforts have not been in vain,” Abeni said.
“We held a series of football camps in Malta and Gozo and we were impressed not only by the contribution of the young participants but also by their attitude and dedication.
“We’ve told our Brera colleagues that there are some young players here who have talent and show great promise. In fact, we’ve already invited a few to attend trials at Brescia FC.”
Brera Calcio president Alessandro Aleotti said his interest in Maltese football grew after a long chat with Abeni.
“I’m always open to new ideas and I soon realised that we can embark on new initiatives in this country,” Aleotti said.
“At Brera, we run a system with a different philosophy to other football organisations as we look to create projects with a social and cultural value to add to the sporting concept.
“In 2011, Evaristo Beccalossi led a team of young players from Africa at the prestigious Viareggio youth tournament. The most important aspect for us on that occasion was that these players were given an opportunity to showcase their talent.
“It’s still early to say what our plans will be but we are open to any type of collaboration with local clubs as long as it adheres to our philosophy.”
Beccalossi agreed that this will be another challenge for Brera Calcio.
“We’re still at a starting point in Malta but we’re eager to make new partnerships,” he said.
“I will be attending a few matches here and get more acquainted with the conditions as I’m keen to learn more about the Maltese game before we get our project going.”
Inter takeover
Asked to give his views on his former club and Erick Thohir’s takeover from Massimo Moratti earlier this month, Beccalossi, who played for Inter between 1978 and 1984, said: “Football has changed a lot since my playing days.
“Today, clubs have turned into business institutions and the ones in charge are not only interested in success on the field of play but they also concentrate their operate on ways to make the club a more popular brand worldwide.
“Really, I was sad to see a dedicated president like Massimo Moratti selling the family’s major shares at Inter but maybe it’s time to change the way this club is run.
“We have to wait and see what Thohir’s intentions are. He needs time to settle down but he will have to do his utmost to keep Inter at the top of the Italian game.”