TARANTO – Francesca Novellino is 11 years old and is the only girl on her football team, in fact she is the striker. She comes from the Old City where she was born and raised and her dream is to play for Juventus Women. Today, however, she trains in the «ASD Sparta Taras 706 BC», a small association in her neighborhood.
«I like playing – he says – a lot, you can’t explain how much. It’s a passion that’s in my blood.” Her father also trod the fields in the past and today he has passed this passion on to his daughter.
«For me – explains Francesca – it wasn’t difficult to integrate into a team of men. But there are people who make the game difficult for you: they insult me because I’m a girl, but I leave them alone and play as I know how. I always train hard, I never give up. Every day, rain or shine.”
His reference athlete is Sara Gama, defender of Juventus, who has had to face many prejudices in her life: «Despite our roles being different, her way of playing and being reflects me». His coach Marco Casula says that he has already done some auditions, but for now it’s right for him to just have fun. «Francesca – says the coach – is a promising young footballer, who has cultivated her passion since she was little. Despite her challenges and prejudices, she demonstrated unwavering determination, supported by her family and friends who never abandoned her. In six years of training, she has never missed a session, embodying the values of loyalty, sacrifice and renunciation. Francesca is an example for her classmates, and we are certain that one day she will achieve great goals.”
In recent days, she was awarded the «Delphis d’Oro» award for sport 2024. This is an initiative organized by the Taranto25 Foundation, to celebrate and promote sporting excellence in all its forms, recognizing the contribution of athletes and sports clubs for the progress and diffusion of sporting values in the community. Only 11 athletes have received the award. «It was – commented the coach – the first recognition of her ability to dream big and above all with open eyes, because her future is bright. And we believe in her.”
