Savona. Giuseppe Gervasio, vice president and sporting director of Rari Nantes Savona (to define its official roles, but in reality it is, as is known, much more), clearly outlines the future of the maximum expression of Savonese sport. It does so across the board, expressing in the meantime a satisfaction perhaps never perceived in many years, from the sporting aspects to the completion of the second lot of the swimming pool, from the relations with the municipal administration to those with the territory and the fans, from the strengthening of the management team to the research of sponsors.
It makes it clear that, after so many successes, we are in year zero, that of the re-foundation in the wake of second place in the championship and the consequent Zanelli swimming pool once again full to capacity. Imagine an even greater involvement of all of Savona (something to be defined even better than a sort of popular shareholding), to the point of going so far as to think of a Rari so good that it could even do without him, surname Gervasio and name Giuseppe.
Here’s what he told us, as anticipated with some surprises…
Gervasio, why are you still strengthening the team, with considerable efforts?
“The goal is to try to repeat ourselves with second place in the championship and win the Len Cup Final Four. To have these ambitions we must move accordingly on the market.”
Recco has been accumulating champions for years, but has not won either the Champions League or the Italian Cup. Does that mean the system is sick?
“The diction doesn’t seem correct to me. It’s not up to me to make judgements, but I would say that, to achieve its objectives, Recco must make the investments it is making, even more so if it has not achieved its Champions League objective.”
How many points is Angelini worth in the Rari ranking?
“I understood the meaning of the question and I can answer that his greatest quality, which leads us to these results, is that of making any player perform at their best.”
Obviously it’s not just the sporting aspect. What are the other issues on the table?
“We have strengthened the Council in quality and quantity, but it is still not enough. Our project financing should allow us, barring surprises, to finish the second lot of the swimming pool, including the roof and photovoltaic system, with a historic effort. This presupposes a twenty-year assignment, obviously passing through the legal tender. Then there are also other problems to deal with, such as parking.”
To do all this we need synergy with the Municipality. How are the relationships?
“Very good, we work together with the mayor Russo and the councilor Rossello with whom, being a man of sport, it is easy to get along”.
How are the sponsorships going?
“The ones we have are good, mostly historical, including the decisive contribution of the local bank, today Bper. Perhaps we are guilty of not having sufficiently considered Rari as a force not only as a citizen but also and above all as a provincial force, given that we give prestige, I believe, to the name of Savona throughout Italy and around Europe, with water polo and with synchro: there are the Olympics and the Italian national team has a lot of Savona”.
Rari has rediscovered the public for special occasions…
“Exactly, and it is capital that should not be wasted. After thirteen years we gave the people of Savona the opportunity to return to the pool and they did not disappoint us. This is why we are at a sort of refoundation that we cannot miss.”
Are you thinking of something in particular?
“Yes, and not just for cheering in the pool. In other cities, important sporting realities have involved fans and economic categories from a managerial and economic perspective. We can do it too.”
Would this be the last missing piece?
“It would be the most important one to guarantee the future of Rari. In fact, once the fans have been found, the team, the second batch of the swimming pool, the management team, sponsors from all over the province and the involvement of the economic categories are in place, I could leave my tasks to others”.
Gervasio lets this last sentence slip a bit and doesn’t want to add another word. But the concept is clear: a great manager also knows how to plan the future without him. That would perhaps be the greatest merit.
: “We are at year zero for the team, second lot of the swimming pool and relations with the city, ready for the next twenty years”){kind=link}