How many remember ACF Arezzo’s winning run in the Women’s Serie C in the 2021/2022 season? Two years have passed since that triumphant season and now things have changed. Last year the club was saved three days before the end of the championship and, during the current season, the final outcome could be the same. This is not a given; over the years there are many companies that have risen to the cadet series and have returned to the third series after just one year.
But for Arezzo the situation is different. Behind the Amaranth club there is a strong, determined and, above all, rich figure like Massimo Anselmi. The patron and owner of Chimera Gold believed – and continues to do so strongly – in women’s football. After winning Serie C and finding himself serving in the junior ranks, the Amaranth number one is starting to experience first-hand the difficulties of finding himself in an increasingly growing women’s football which, unfortunately, leaves small players behind, favoring clubs more professionals.
Despite this, however, the Tuscan entrepreneur continues to invest heavily in his creation and who knows if in the future we will be able to discuss a collaboration with the men’s club of the city SSArezzo. It would certainly be of mutual interest to form a partnership that could allow the Tuscan town to have two teams – one male and one female – capable of having their say in the tournaments in which they will participate.
In the meantime, there is a salvation to be achieved and Arezzo Femminile has opted for a change on the bench a few weeks ago. Australian coach Mike Eracleous, welcomed to the city with skepticism and curiosity, was unable to build a group capable of making a dent in the top of the championship. The same coach then decided to step aside, opening the way for Primavera coach Ilaria Leoni who, the previous year, had led the Amaranto women’s Primavera to promotion from the second to the first series without ever losing a match.
The new coach’s task is certainly not the simplest, and it is never easy to find yourself with a group that is not yours and inculcate new tactics, new training methods and a new philosophy. That is work that mostly happens during summer retreats. However, Leoni – assisted by her deputy Marco Merola and her staff – has already achieved some victories which have allowed the Amaranth team to move into a good position in the standings.
Last Sunday they lost 1-2 at home against Brescia but salvation is one step away. There are five races left until the end of the championship, then it will be time to take stock. There are very few left of the invincible group that won Serie C hands down in 2022. Arezzo must kick the past to give itself momentum towards the future. There are opportunities to grow further and achieve important results and the work of recent years shows that there is no shortage of skills within the company.
What is missing at the moment, in addition to a pinch of luck, is a figure who knows the world of women’s football very well from the inside and who can give useful advice and suggestions to improve the team. And Ilaria Leoni is undoubtedly the right person to start from.
Stefano Berardo
