“HoopsxCastello”: hundreds of young people attend the basketball evenings

The “GenerAzione giovanile” project attracts a full house of participants. The final standings at the end of the tournaments.

Young people’s passion for basketball is booming in Castelfiorentino. Hundreds of young people and children took part in “HoopsxCastello”, a tournament that brought the area around Via Galvani to life for four consecutive evenings, as part of “GenerAzione giovanile” – a project promoted by Prociv Arci of Castelfiorentino in collaboration with the local council, ABC Basket, Avis, the “Neri Ferramosca” Association and “Amici per Castello”.

Launched with the aim of stimulating urban regeneration through youth participation, this first phase of the project involved clearing up the surrounding green space and refurbishing the basketball court, thanks above all to the voluntary efforts of six young people (three from Prociv and three from ABC); Dario Burgassi, Tommaso Barlabà, Damiano Valloreia, Tommaso Niccolini, Samuele Cipollini and Giacomo Ciulli, who also organised the event and promoted it via social media.

This initiative proved to be extremely successful. Every evening, the various tournaments (divided into age groups) attracted a large turnout, peaking on Friday thanks to the DJ set that livened up the post-match atmosphere.

“Looking beyond the figures and attendance numbers,” observes Marco Cappellini, president of Prociv Arci, “we want to assess what a group of young people has managed to create through their own efforts, because whilst last year they were guided and supported throughout the process, this year they did everything on their own. This is the true spirit of the initiative: encouraging young people to love their town and to work together to create something that would be appealing and enjoyable for other young people. Opening up a channel for dialogue and exchange amongst the town’s young people was the central aim of the event, and it was a resounding success. The important thing now is to keep this channel open and to rekindle the young people’s love for their town, so that they see it not as an empty town but as a space ready to embrace ideas and projects.”

“The secret to the success of this initiative,” observe the Mayor, Francesca Gianni, and the Deputy Mayor, Gianluca D’Alessio, “can be summed up, first and foremost, in one word: trust. Trust in young people, in their ideas, in their organisational skills and also in their ability to promote the event, thanks to their choice of language and communication methods that are in step with the times. The other word we believe is important to highlight is ‘example’. A group of young people has shown that respect for public property, as well as urban decorum, can start with the citizens themselves, and this is a wonderful message that must remain as a key outcome of this project, for which I would like to thank all the organisations that, in various ways, have contributed to its realisation.”

The ‘GenerAzione giovanile’ project was made possible thanks to the call for proposals ‘Siete presente. Young People and Associations, 2026 edition’, as part of the ‘Giovanisi – Spaces for Growth’ project promoted by Cesvot and funded by the Tuscany Region – Giovanisì, in agreement with the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with a contribution from the Cassa di Risparmio di San Miniato Foundation.

Here are the results of the various tournaments by category

Junior Category:1st place:
Gli alieni dell’1vs1
2nd place: Chicago MMHS
3rd place: Galg Boys
4th place: Baby Bulls

Individual awards:
Winner of the ‘Fulmine’ award (for Junior/Medium categories only): Alberto Asta

Winner of the 3-Point Contest (Senior): Cosimo Ticciati

MVP (Senior): Andrea Maltomini