ACF Fiorentina announce new partnership with Meyer Children’s Hospital

The days after the Juventus game have been jam packed for Rocco Commisso and Fiorentina. Trips to the Women and Primavera games, multiple meetings with important individuals discussing options for the stadium in Firenze, and trips to neighboring towns to discuss potential properties for the new sports center and potentially the new stadium if the city of Firenze doesn’t play nice have kept them busy. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t time in their schedule to give back.

On Tuesday morning Fiorentina called a press conference to announce their new partnership with the Anna Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation, one of Florence’s finest institutions, renowned not just in Tuscany but across Italy as one of the country’s leading children’s health-care facilities.

What does this mean? In the Fiorentina press release sent to ViolaNation, Fiorentina will allow the Foundation to use its facilities and image, as well as the image of its players and management figures, to increase its visibility in Italy and abroad. Fiorentina will support all the Foundation’s campaigns to raise funds for initiatives in aid of scientific research, developing innovative health projects, improving the quality of children’s and their families’ stays in hospital, as well as in the cultural field with a special regard to children’s illnesses and their repercussions on the family and society as a whole. Executives, players and management will all play their own part, all very visible.

All of this goes to support the new organizational policy under Rocco Commisso, working with and supporting excellent, efficient local institutions.

”It is with great pleasure that the Anna Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation has today signed an agreement with ACF Fiorentina,” said Meyer Foundation President Gianpaolo Donzelli. “We share the idea that there is a close relationship between sport and health, especially in children and adolescents, and these are the cultural and moral values behind the work carried out at the Meyer on a daily basis.”

You may recall that this isn’t the first time we have heard of Meyer Children’s Hospital. When Rocco first took over he made a trip to Meyer and met with many children, one of which asked Rocco to promise to not sell Federico Chiesa. After that meeting Rocco has repeatedly said he will not break that promise to that child, and he hasn’t.

In the press conference Rocco did speak emotionally about his experiences with the children at the Meyer, said that he cried when he met the children. “The thing that touched me the most, when I met some of the kids, they all had a smile on their face. Each one of them dealt with their adversities in a way that most people that are not sick cannot comprehend.” Rocco continued, “In particular there were a few kids, one of whom, a girl who was fifteen or sixteen. She came to visit me as the stadium on Saturday. It was very moving. I asked her how she was doing. She said I am doing better. Are you all better I asked. Yes, for now, but the doctor said I have to go back for more tests.”

ACF Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso added in a press release: “The Meyer Hospital was one of the first places I visited in Florence when I came here with the mayor Dario Nardella. It was a very emotional experience for me and I was able to see the concrete aid this hospital offers to those needing medical care and their families. That is why we want to lend a hand so that Meyer initiatives can become more achievable. My family and I have been shown so much love since we arrived in Florence and this is a way of repaying Florence for the wonderful welcome we’ve received, by doing something away from the pitch that has an impact on people’s daily lives.

Rocco did also receive questions on the stadium, Federico Chiesa and Gaetano Castrovilli.

On the stadium:

We are looking at all options and I am going to leave it at that for the moment. We may be closer with some than others. We haven’t bought any properties, we have options. But we haven’t finalized the purchase of any properties. There are some issues related to everything. One is timing, two is taxes that might have to be paid, three is location, location, location. One is prettier than the other. We will see what happens in two to three months. I believe that for the sports center a final decision can come in one or two months.”

Barone on Chiesa and Castrovilli:

“There is a contract and I don’t know why this situation always comes up. We should leave Federico alone, he is doing well. He must concentrate.”

Barone on Castrovilli:

”For Castrovilli, we met with the prosecutor, we have the numbers and I am convinced that he will renew the contract.”