Bologna, November 10 –
Blue Team: sport as a bridge to independence and inclusion for young people with autism. A project that combines basketball, therapy and passion to build a future of opportunities for boys and girls with autism spectrum disorders.
Sport has the power to break down barriers, build relationships and bring out the best in each of us. This belief gave rise to Blue Team, a therapeutic sports project promoted by Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna in collaboration with the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences,
through the UOSI Autism Spectrum Disorders unit directed by Dr Paola Visconti.
Blue Team was born from a simple idea and a strong, concrete need: through the practice of basketball and by exploiting the great added value that a team game such as basketball can offer, to provide young people with autism with a targeted sporting activity that takes into account their needs, their need for physical and psychological autonomy, as well as ensuring an important opportunity for socialisation through participation in recreational and motor activities, with maximum attention to the specificities of each individual and their developmental needs.
For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is more important than ever to develop their independence, socialisation skills and integration outside the family environment. Leisure time is an area that can be enriched with experiences that are important for development and psychological and physical well-being through organised and motivating sports activities. The project aims to create new opportunities for welcoming people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, promoting initiatives and spaces for interaction that are not spontaneously available to children with autism, as well as creating opportunities for real “therapy” through the experimentation of social exchange and reciprocity in a playful context. On a socio-educational level, there is the possibility of increasing individual autonomy with respect to the family and the most frequented environments, giving this engaging sporting activity the function of a “container”, a new point of reference in the social life of the child.
The project, aimed at minors diagnosed with autism and followed by the UOSI Autism Spectrum Disorders Unit, is structured into two groups differentiated by age (7-12 years and 13-17 years), with weekly meetings on Thursday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm.
Blue Team represents excellence in the synergy between skills: Virtus Pallacanestro fields experienced coaches, supported by a professional educator and Dr Federica Resca, psychologist at UOSI ASD IRCCS ISNB. At the same time, the presence of UOSI ASD, IRCCS ISNB guarantees the scientific value of the project: through the administration of pre- and post-intervention assessment scales, it will be possible to measure its effectiveness, contributing to research in the field of autism.
In this carefully designed recreational and playful context, the children have the opportunity to enhance their communication and interpersonal skills, motor skills and personal autonomy, while developing greater self-awareness, self-efficacy and
self-determination.
This is a highly valuable initiative, whose objective and significance are summed up in the simple but important words of coach Gabriele Casoretti: “A project that focuses on the child in the full sense of their dignity as a human being, never considered simply as “an autistic person”, and which considers NON-exclusion as a fundamental need of every living being. Club Virtus Bologna is an ideal environment for developing an educational-sports project of this kind. It was immediately welcomed by the management and department heads, who gave me their full support during the planning and implementation phases. The research project launched with the healthcare staff of IRCCS-ISNB and AUSL in Bologna has made it possible to organise two groups differentiated by age and functional profiles for the 2025-2026 sports season. I will be joined by Coach Sara Branchini and two professional educators selected by UOSI ASD, who will support me in my weekly work.”
‘Blue Team represents a valuable opportunity for our children and their families,’ adds Dr Visconti. “Through this project, we not only offer inclusive, high-quality sporting activities, but we also create a space where young people with autism can experiment in a social context that can help them develop their interactive skills. The collaboration with Virtus Pallacanestro allows us to combine sporting excellence with clinical expertise. Our professionals – educators and psychologists – work side by side with the coaches to ensure a personalised approach that is attentive to the specific needs of each participant. What makes Blue Team particularly significant is also its research dimension. Through scientific assessment tools, we will be able to document the children’s progress in relational, motor and autonomy skills, helping to enrich our knowledge of effective interventions in autism. Seeing these young people grow in self-esteem, discover their potential and feel part of a team is the goal that guides us every day.
The activity began on Thursday 2 October at the CUSB sports facility in Via del Carpentiere.
