Today is the 125th anniversary of the foundation of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Formed on 26 March 1898 with the name Federazione Italiana Football by a committee formed a few days prior in Turin, our Football Association has helped the sport become a national obsession.

The FIGC, as it has been known since 1909, promotes and regulates footballing activities and everything connected with the game, also managing over 20 representative national teams: Men, Women, Futsal, Beach Soccer and eSports.

With its deep roots in local the local game and thanks to the activities of its various components (Leagues, Coaches and Players), the FIGC has ignited Italians’ passion for football and has perfected sporting practice, introducing, over the course of the years, new rules for player safety and wellbeing. The Federation seeks to drive inclusion and tackle all forms of discrimination, aiding the evolution of habits and mindsets in Italian civil society. For 125 years, the FIGC has been more than a game. It has stood for participation and the value of football’s diversity. It has stood for sharing and identity, spectacle and passion, but, above all, it’s the team that everyone supports and for which everyone can play.

 “The history of the FIGC has often coincided, sometimes driven, the history of this country,” said president Gabriele Gravina. “Football is a cultural, social and economic - as well as sporting – phenomenon. It is part of our national identity and of our growth throughout the decades. Today we’re not just celebrating the anniversary of the Federation but of all those that love football and strive to modernise the game and make it more inclusive and a greater spectacle.”

Over a million players are registered in Italy (according to the findings of the ReportCalcio), 800,000 of whom are Under 18; we also have over 30,000 qualified referees and nearly as many coaches. These figures reflect the game’s popularity in the peninsular but the involvement of football, in all of its forms, has greater implications for our country. The Social Return on Investment Model – a study done in collaboration with UEFA – clearly outlined the benefits of playing football and the effect thereof of certain key national statistics. In 2020/21, a season so heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, football generated a total value of €4.53 billion with positive social programmes and welfare for the community. Furthermore, from 2006 to 2020, for every euro invested into football, the state received a return in tax and social security terms of €18.9. Each year, we continue to implement projects in schools as part of our commitment to youth football, which has seen 1,700 schools involved in the last year alone. Finally, the 50 most-watched television programmes of all time in Italy have all been live football matches, 47 of which have involved the Italy national team.