"Play with Me" is a Juventus-led social project aimed at promoting social inclusion through sports, particularly soccer. This initiative is directed at children and adolescents from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, with the goal of fostering their active participation in community life and developing social skills and positive values such as respect, collaboration, and solidarity. The project is developed through non-competitive sports activities and educational moments, where young people can learn to live together, collaborate, and respect each other, both on and off the soccer field. Launched in the 2012/2013 season in Juventus youth academies as an opportunity for integration and personal growth for children at risk of social marginalization, "Play with Me" has been implemented in various contexts both locally and globally thanks to a network of partners committed to the protection and safeguarding of minors.
Play With Me
In the 2024/2025 season, Juventus renewed the project in collaboration with the Villa Sole Cooperative, involving 12 children between the ages of 7 and 9, including 9 boys and 3 girls, referred by the Social Services of four districts in the city of Turin.
The educational method integrates elements of psychology, play, and sport to support the development of physical, emotional, and relational well-being. As project instructor Gerardo Quintana explains: “Psychology, football, and education come together and come to life in the beauty of being together. Within this framework, we put into play playful exercises that stimulate learning and well-being in all its forms.”
The project’s beneficiaries also had the opportunity to take part in extracurricular experiences designed to strengthen inclusion and a sense of belonging: access to the “Bimbi in Campo & Junior Photographer” event at the Allianz Stadium, participation in the Finals of the Kings World Cup Nations, and a visit to an open training session of the First Team. In total, more than 30 children were involved in these off-field activities, with “happiness” being the most frequently mentioned emotion in their stories.
Since its launch, “Gioca con Me” has involved 99 participants, including 85 boys and 14 girls, offering not only sporting opportunities but also educational relationships and growth pathways capable of generating a lasting impact in the lives of the young participants.