Soccer camp for children

Legendary Italian football coach Arrigo Sacchi launching the Italia Soccer Camp 2023

PBZ and Generali announce Soccer Camp for children in Croatia 

Zagreb, June 1, 2023 – It is our great pleasure to announce the Italia Soccer Camp 2023 in Croatia.

This sports event is intended for children aged 8 to 14 years and Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), as a member of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, is the main partner of this project, also supported by Generali. The camp will provide its participants with a unique opportunity to learn about the skills and secrets of football by working with the best Italian coaches.

The press conference was attended by, a legendary Italian football coach Arrigo Sacchi, who spoke about the concept of the Soccer Camp.

Also, other press conference participants were Marco Elio Rottigni, Chief of Intesa Sanpaolo’s International Subsidiary Banks Division; Dinko Lucić, President of the Management Board of Privredna banka Zagreb; Mario Carini, CEO of Generali osiguranje; Jasna Ćurković Kelava, Head of Zagreb Children’s Home; Marco Schembri, representative of event organizer World Camp International.  We are also particularly pleased by the presence of the Croatian National Team head coach Zlatko Dalić and Federica Cappelletti, famous Italian journalist (wife of the great Paolo Rossi) and President and founder of the Paolo Rossi Foundation.

“It´s a pleasure to be in Croatia and to announce the Soccer Camp which gives talented children who love football the opportunity and maybe discovered as future Croatian champions" said Arrigo Sacchi, the official testimonial of the project and legendary Italian football coach and manager who managed Parma, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and the Italian National Team.

The Soccer Camp will be held in Zagreb from 3 to 7 July 2023 for around 100 children, including children from the Zagreb Children’s Home and children of beneficiaries of the programme of the Center for Parenting Support Growing up together, a local partner of the humanitarian initiative The Human Safety Net founded by Generali.

“With the 2023 edition of the Soccer Camp, we renovate an initiative that Intesa Sanpaolo’s International Subsidiary Banks Division kept on promoting in several countries and which contributes to our commitment to each of them”, said Marco Elio Rottigni, Chief of International Subsidiary Banks Divison. In Croatia, thanks to the support of our local subsidiary PBZ, over 2.000 children have had the chance to share the experience of the Camps in the last 12 years, learning the values loyal competition, commitment, and those of being part of a team that are typical of sports activities. As a large bank deeply rooted in the country, and part of one of the largest and soundest European financial groups, our endeavor will primarily be to support the Economy on topics at the top of the agenda, such as we did with the changeover to the single currency, but at the same time we’ll keep a steady attention to the society as a whole, with undertakings that have a special attention to its weakest components”.

Within its CSR program, Privredna banka Zagreb supports numerous sports activities involving children and the young and, with the support of the parent company, Intesa Sanpaolo, it has made it possible for the children to train in one of the best football schools where they will gain valuable football experience.

“The PBZ Group, as part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, has been recognized in the country for many years for its significant CSR initiatives. We actively support projects for youth and children, hospitals, education, sports and in general initiatives that can contribute to improving the quality of life of the community in which we operate. I am very glad that we have gathered again to present this great project for children who really love and enjoy this sport, which is certainly more than a game. Our country has huge potential for the football world, and we support this project, owing to which young players can train with experienced trainers”, said Dinko Lucić, President of Management Board of Privredna banka Zagreb.

“We are very pleased that the children from our Centre have been able to participate in the Soccer camp this year again as well and also I would like to thank PBZ for the invitation and for its long-term support and cooperation”, said Jasna Ćurković Kelava, Head of Zagreb Children’s Home.

"I am happy and proud that Generali and our partner Privredna Banka Zagreb are launching once again a new edition of the Italia Soccer Camp. The camp will be attended by many children, several of whom are from families that participate and benefit from the activities of the Center for Parenting Support Growing up together, our valued local partner of our humanitarian initiative The Human Safety Net in Croatia. I’m confident of the success of this initiative, which is a concrete example of our commitment towards local communities,” emphasized Mario Carini, CEO of Generali osiguranje.

Marco Schembri, Head of World Camp International Srl, the organizer of the football camp, added: „I would like to thank PBZ and Generali for making it possible once again for young Croatian footballers to develop their talents while enjoying unforgettable experiences”.

The Soccer camp will be held at the football courts Sportski centar ZAGREBello in Zagreb, Veslačka 1 (from 3 to 7 July 2023), and it will include technical, physical and tactical trainings. The Italia Soccer Camp, recognized among the public for its educational and fun character, is a project which gathers former Italian national football team members. This year, as many as five top-level Italian coaches will hang out with the young football prospects, teaching them the secrets of the art of football. This Soccer camp is free-of-charge for about 100 children who will have the opportunity to learn and have football training lessons based on the well-known and proven method and technique used by top football players. Detailed information on registration and organization of the Camp will be published soon through the PBZ communication channels.

Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian former professional football coach and manager and one of the most influential people in modern football. During his football career, Sacchi managed Parma, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and the Italian national team. He has twice managed AC Milan (1987–1991, 1996–1997), with great success. He won the Serie A title in his 1987–88 debut season and then dominated European football by winning back to back European Cups in 1989 and 1990. From 1991 to 1996, he was head coach of the Italian national team and led them to the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final.  His Milan side is widely considered as one of the best football teams of all time. He shook the football world with his management style. He managed to combine the solid Italian defence with an attacking style and the results were amazing.

Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ) is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, one of the largest banking groups in Europe. PBZ is the second largest bank and financial group in Croatia by assets with a market share of up to or slightly above 20 per cent in various operating segments, and also a market leader in many areas, such as card business and new technologies, continuously developing new and innovative products and services. PBZ is also the centre of excellence for many areas of banking within the International Subsidiary Banks Division of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group and thus became a regional banking hub following the acquisition of the majority ownership of Intesa Sanpaolo banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. PBZ has a proactive role in encouraging CSR initiatives and projects, with constant dedication to supporting the local community. PBZ is the leading donor in the country and unrivalled among banks regarding donations to healthcare institutions in combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as repairing the consequences of the devastating earthquake that hit Zagreb and its surroundings and Sisak-Moslavina county. PBZ Group is well recognized in the country for its unique charity project Doing good every day, which has been helping the community for 15 years and has made 70 donations to hospitals and social care homes across Croatia thus far.

Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy’s leading banking group – serving families, businesses and the real economy – with a significant international presence. Intesa Sanpaolo’s distinctive business model makes it a European leader in Wealth Management, Protection & Advisory, highly focused on digital and fintech. An efficient and resilient Bank, it benefits from its wholly-owned product factories in asset management and insurance. The Group’s strong ESG commitment includes providing €115 billion in impact lending by 2025 to communities and for the green transition, and €500 million in contributions to support people most in need, positioning Intesa Sanpaolo as a world leader in terms of social impact. Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to Net Zero by 2030 for its own emissions and by 2050 for its loan and investment portfolios. An engaged patron of Italian culture, Intesa Sanpaolo has created its own network of museums, the Gallerie d’Italia, to host the bank's artistic heritage and as a venue for prestigious cultural projects.

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Generali osiguranje is a part of the Generali Group - one of the largest global insurance and asset management providers. Established in 1831, it is present in 50 countries in the world, with a total premium income of more than € 81.5 billion in 2022. With around 75,000 employees serving 67 million customers, the Group has a leading position in Europe and a growing presence in Asia and Latin America. At the heart of Generali’s strategy is its Lifetime Partner commitment to customers, achieved through innovative and personalised solutions, best-in-class customer experience and its digitalised global distribution capabilities. The Group has fully embedded sustainability into all strategic choices, with the aim to create value for all stakeholders while building a fairer and more resilient society. MSCI, a leading international ESG rating company, has upgraded Generali to AAA, its highest possible rating, from AA. MSCI’s assessment found that Generali adopts industry best practices to mitigate climate related risks. Generali is also included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) and in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI Europe). Focusing on SMEs as the foundation of the European economy and one of the main drivers of sustainable transition, Generali launched SME EnterPRIZE. This strategic initiative promotes a greener and more inclusive economy in line with the European Green Plan and the Next Generation EU initiative as well as a culture of sustainability among European SMEs. Generali is also active in its communities by The Human Safety Net Foundation, established five years ago, with the idea that communities of "people helping people" can lead to sustainable change. In Croatia, THSN cooperates with the Center "Growing- Up Together" to support parents and children exposed to more demanding life circumstances, which hinder the development of their children, reaching more than 14 thousand parents and children, with the further implementation of new support programs. The home of The Human Safety Net, Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie overlooking St Mark’s Square, has won one of the most important prizes in the design world - the 2022 Red Dot Design award for Best Interior Design.