The situation of the football pitch at the Palermo shipyard highlights a significant problem regarding the conservation of sporting and social spaces important for the community. The loss of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) funding represents a serious blow to the redevelopment plans proposed by MP Adriano Varrica and to the future prospects of the plant.
The challenge now is twofold: not only to find new sources of funding to preserve and possibly renovate the field, but also to mobilize local and regional support to keep interest in these important infrastructures alive. The indifference of the Municipality, as reported by Varrica, raises questions about the priority given to urban development projects and their social sustainability.
The situation of the football field requires joint action between different entities: the Municipality of Palermo, the Sicily Region, and bodies such as Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. Effective collaboration could not only save the field, but also transform it into a model of how sport can serve as a catalyst for urban renewal and social inclusion.
The Palermo regional deputy of the 5 Star Movement, Adriano Varrica, launches an SOS on the future of the historic plant. Here are his words reported by “PalermoToday”: “When we obtained the Pnrr contribution of 33 million euros for the recovery of the former Tobacco Factory – declares Varrica – I activated a working table with the Municipality and CDP to achieve two results: create a technological and specialist training hub linked to the relaunch of the shipyard and safeguard the historic football field. Unfortunately, the Lagalla council lost that funding and, as part of the new Cassa Depositi e Prestiti project, today there is a real risk of dismantling the sports facility. The managers were asked to immediately return it, endangering the sporting activities of many children and young people who use that field. Despite my question last year – concludes the Cinquestelle regional deputy – the Region is not yet sitting at the table with Cassa Depositi Prestiti, and the Municipality seems to maintain a deafening silence on this issue”.
