Interview with the director of the Academy Dino Hamzic, who tells us how the idea of founding a team directly connected to the Rome club was born
by Stefania Puxeddu Clegg
The AS Roma Academy New York opens its doors to young soccer players from the Westchester and New York City areas this spring. The academy will be directly connected to the Rome office. We spoke to New York Academy director Dino Hamzic about his personal connection with Italian football and his plans for the Academy’s future in New York.
Where did your passion for Italian football come from?
“It all started when I was little, when I saw the Italian national team -” the Azzurri “- play in the 90’s. At that time, Serie A was the strongest league in the world, it had the greatest players in world football in it, and it was very exciting to watch them play. I am of Bosnian origin, and I have closely followed the progress of Bosnian international players who have enjoyed great success in Serie A. To tell the truth, many Bosnians are fans of Italian teams, especially Roma, where striker Edin Džeko plays. “.
And your passion for Roma?
“I have been a Romanist for about twenty years. Like many young Europeans at the time, I admired and followed Francesco Totti, when he was voted the best Italian player in Serie A five times, leading the team to the Scudetto in 2001. In 2011 one of my favorite Bosnian players Miralem Pjanić, signed the contract with Roma where he remained for five years, becoming one of the best midfielders in the world. In 2015, Bosnian striker Edin Džeko became the third player in terms of the number of goals scored for Roma, now a legend for fans. Like any Roma player, I try to follow every Roma match! ”.
What prompted you to open an academy in New York?
“There are over 2.6 million Italians and Italian Americans living in the New York metropolitan area, and they represent the largest cultural group. There is a solid base of supporters in New York for many Italian football clubs, and one of the clubs is Roma New York. What is missing now in New York is an Italian football academy where young players can learn to play “the Italian way” with qualified European coaches. In Italy, Roma are renowned for having the best youth academy, and the largest number of professional players from all Serie A clubs. Bringing the best Italian football to New York means bringing the AS Roma Academy to New York. This is the dream we are making for young New York players ”.
What will this dream be like? Tell …
“The AS Roma Academy NY is the official youth football academy of the club of Rome, which will form the men’s and women’s teams from the age of five to 17. I am working directly with Italian Technical Director Alessio Fazi to bring here the same methodology and experience that players would receive if they were in Italy. The entire training structure of AS Roma Academy has developed and refined over many years and has produced many from the stars of Italian football. Like all schools, this curricular structure is planned in detail and includes an entire curricular year, the aim of which is to train football players and provide them with the skills they can continue at university or start a career as professional footballers ” .
What else should those parents do who want to know more about the academy?
“They should get in touch with me via our e-mail academy.newyork@asroma.it and leave me their contact. We are finalizing the training dates for our teams in April, and those dates will be communicated by email. The teams will participate in the championship next autumn, for the 2021-2022 season. These teams will play in Westchester, and will be able to enjoy short sessions or camps throughout the year in Westchester and Manhattan. We will participate in both the national regional championship with our Academy PRO program (U11-U18) and the local one with our “Academy” program (U9-U12). Instead, the “Pre-Academy” program (U6-U9) will participate in a championship at home, in a safe, fun and competitive environment at the same time ”.
For more information you can contact AS Roma Academy NY at email: academy.newyork@asroma.it or by phone at: 646-907-4131.
Source: La Voce di new York