Fondazione Magnoni

Fondazione Magnoni is a charity based in Milan, Italy. Since 2004, it has been financing projects aiming at enhancing children well being and promoting communities which embrace ethnic, cultural and physical differences.

In 2007, Fondazione Magnoni launched the project Un campo nel cortile with the aim of supporting the construction of top-notch soccer fields in the suburbs of Milan. Throughout the years, Fondazione Magnoni has been selecting community based sport associations committed to use soccer as an educational tool to promote social inclusion and the well being of the children living in the neighborhood. Fondazione Magnoni supported the selected sport association to developed a business plan for the renewal of their soccer fields. The Board of Fondazione Magnoni evaluated the business plans and the projects that were deemed favorably received a grant equal to 15-25% of the cost of the structure. To finance the remaining cost of the field, Fondazione Magnoni supported the local sports association to negotiate the conditions of a loan with a local bank. Fondazione Magnoni kept supporting the associations until they repaid all the debt.

Fondazione Magnoni supported the construction of top-notch soccer fields for three reasons:

• create a beautiful, modern and "cool" place in some of the worst suburbs of Milan. The purpose was to counteract the "Broken Window Theory" and promote order and care in places normally lead by disorder and deterioration;
• allow local sport association to play on a safe and modern soccer field, as opposed to the old "potato fields" normally used for training and matches. The purpose was to attract new young sport members to engage in the local community through the sport activities. Soccer is seen as an educational tool to promote social inclusion and personal well being;
• generate an income by renting the field to players external to the local communities. The income was used to repay the loan and any profit was to be reinvested in the local community.

On top of that, the field was the place where "the center meets the periphery" since it created the occasion for some people to go to the "bad" suburbs of Milan. Those neighborhoods would have hardly been visited otherwise.

Fondazione Magnoni built 15 soccer fields and 1 multipurpose gym in some major Italian cities.

From 2008 to 2013, I worked as Project Manager for the project Un campo nel cortile. I was also appointed for the definition and supervision of the research activities commissioned by the Board of Fondazione Magnoni. With Univeristà Bocconi and under the supervision of Prof. Francesco Perrini, I developed a model to calculate the Social Return on Investment for the project Un campo nel cortile.

From 2013 to 2014, I acted as Executive Director with the following responsabilities:

• Strategic planning and facilitation
• Working with constituent groups including boards and external audiences
• Overseeing and coordinating all aspects of budgeting and financial management
• Development and grants management
• Organizational development and capacity building
• Country Programme Manager for Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Italia ONLUS