The sectional party was held on Friday (28 June) on the occasion of the awarding of the City of Lucca Award 2024organized by the board led by president Antonio Ruffo. The event took on a special celebratory meaning for the Lucca section, falling on its eighty-fifth birthday, given its foundation in 1939.
For this occasion the members gathered in large numbers in the Chapter room in the historical complex of the Royal College. The evening was attended by the deputy mayor Giovanni Minniti, the sports councilor Fabio Barsanti, to whom the referee uniforms with their namesthe president of the regional committee of Figc Paolo Mangini, all the presidents of the Tuscan Aia sections, the various Tuscan colleagues involved in the national commissions and in the technical sector, the president of Cra Toscana, Tiziano Reni accompanied by the entire commission and the members of the national Aia committee Riccardo Camiciottoli, Luca Marconi and Katia Senesi. The rich array of guests was further enriched by the presence of the president of the Aia Carlo Pacifici.
Given the recent passing of the referee manager Giovanni Stevanato President Ruffo wanted to start the evening by giving him a minute of reflection in his memory.
A video celebrating the event, which retraced various moments of association life with interviews with some managers and referees from Lucca, introduced greetings from the city authorities, focused on importance of the referee’s role also in society. Following the initial speech by President Ruffo who reiterated the need to have the support of the institutions for this sporting reality that represents the city not only at a national level but also with the most prestigious award dedicated to the City of Lucca, reiterating the fundamental function of this activity for the training and growth of young people. The event continued, entering the heart of the celebration, with the assignment of recognitions and prizes to members who have particularly distinguished themselves in their technical or associative activity in the past year.
Another significant moment in emotional terms for the Lucca referees was the presentation of the book of memories Whistling in a black jacket written by the late colleague Giorgio Lunardi. The entire family was present for the occasion. The awards, for their commitment and contribution to the national prestige of the Lucca section, went to Silvio Gemignani, to the member of Cra Toscana Riccardo Bianchi, to the members of the technical sector Vittorio Bini and Massimiliano Luporini and to the representative of the legal experts of Tuscany Michele de Francesca.
The sectional awards were given to the colleagues who most distinguished themselves in their activity: Tommaso Bassetti and Gabriele Fiorillo (AE promoted to CAN D), Guido Baldassari (OA at National level) Cristiano Biagini (AE at Regional level), Edoardo Bianchi (emerging AE at Regional level), Daniele Vicari (AA distinguished at Provincial level) , Danilo Gambardella (OA at National level), Anna Nanini (emerging AE at Provincial level), Federico Bertini (distinguished AE at Provincial level), Mario Landucci (OA at Provincial level).
The highlight of the celebration was significant, as well as on an associative level, mainly on a human level: the awarding of the City of Lucca 2024 prize to the president Cra, Tiziano Reni.
“Tuscany, thanks to its work – they say from the association -, in continuity with the recent past, is a region that speaks a single language in associative and technical terms, providing the national commissions with numerous high-level young people, capable of distinguishing themselves in the higher categories. The end of the official celebration coincided with the speech of the national president. Pacifici reiterated to the members how they should be proud to belong to the Aia, an association that demonstrates the solidity of its founding principles even and above all in difficult occasions such as that represented by the current sporting context in which we are very often called to operate. The celebrations then moved to the portico of the internal courtyard for the convivial dinner where they concluded with the cutting of the celebratory cake of the event.
