Bologna –
Worn by Virtus Segafredo players during warm-ups in the Scudetto playoff semifinals with Tortona, the T-Shirts for Emilia-Romagna quickly became a symbol of hope and support for the Romagna region. In the Segafredo Arena stands, many virtussini fans wore them throughout the playoff semifinals and finals as a sign of belonging and closeness.
41,860€ the proceeds donated to charity, more than 1,400 T-shirts sold at the Segafredo Arena during the Scudetto playoff games, the first batch of 300 t-shirts sold out in less than 2 hours on the occasion of Game-1 with Tortona, hundreds of t-shirts also sold on the website www.macron.com and by several retailers in Bologna. These are some numbers that testify to the support and participation of all virtussini fans in support of the thousands of people affected by the flood damage last May.
An initiative that has also seen Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s players and players in the affected area. In fact, Daniel Hackett, Francesca Pasa and Alessandra Orsili went to Faenza’s Mita Park on a Friday afternoon at the end of May to give a few hours of happiness to the boys and girls of the city heavily affected by the flood disaster. It was an attempt to distract from the flood drama experienced in the previous week, and made still alive by the mountains of objects and mud in every corner of the city streets.
“I would like to thank our wonderful fans,” says Virtus Segafredo Bologna CEO Luca Baraldi, “who have demonstrated in a concrete way their support and closeness to the affected population. Thanks to the winning synergy with Macron S.p.A. and the Emilia-Romagna Region, we have shown that united we can really make a difference and offer tangible help to those in need,” concludes the Virtus CEO.
“It was natural to be at Virtus Segafredo’s side in this initiative and we are proud to have been an active part of it,” said Gianluca Pavanello, CEO of Macron. “The T-shirts for Emilia-Romagna represented a precise meaning and conveyed a message of closeness and hope. A T-shirt can have this great power and the response of the virtussini fans and not only proved it once again. Sport and its positive values, when they take the field, are the perfect tools to support those in need,“ Pavanello closes. “The territory that represents us has been wounded, but it is getting back on its feet, albeit with difficulty, and we are proud to have contributed with our work to make a concrete contribution to those affected by the flood damage.
“We are grateful to Virtus and Macron for the fine initiative, along with the commendable momentum of fans and supporters: the result is a new victory, albeit in a dramatic situation such as the flooding that has hit so many of our fellow citizens and communities so hard,” said Region President Stefano Bonaccini. The world of sports has been and is among the most active in providing concrete support to the flooded populations, including through the regional fundraising campaign: to all its components – clubs, athletes, fans, federations, businesses, associations, volunteers – our thanks truly go.”
